Virat Kohli to take break before Test series against South Africa

Virat Kohli is set to take a break before the Test series against South Africa. India will be in South Africa for an All-format tour in December and January. The Asian side will be facing South Africa in 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is, and 2 Tests in the tour. The Tour is set to begin on the 10th of December. The first of the three T20Is is set to happen in Durban.

India is unlikely to select senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and others in the team. Even before India could announce the squad for the series, Virat decided to take a rest from the T20I series. It has been more than 13 months since Virat played his last T20I for India. The trend seems to continue for a much longer period.

Virat has been playing for a long time in India in the last 3-4 months. Virat has been a part of the Indian team in the Asia Cup 2023 and the ODI World Cup 2023. After a tiring season with India, all the senior players have been rested for the T20I series against Australia. Virat has requested the Indian cricket board to grant him the leave to focus on the Test series.

Rohit Sharma’s participation in LOIs uncertain 

The participation of Rohit in T20Is and ODIs seems to be unsure as well. The Indian captain has been on a break after the ODI World Cup 2023, just like Virat. Both the star players are in London on break. While Virat has asked for a leave, the stand of Rohit is not too sure. In the upcoming days, India is about to announce the squads for all the formats for the tour of South Africa.

Much like Virat, Rohit has been continuously playing cricket in the last three months. In the Asia Cup 2023 and the ODI World Cup 2023, Rohit led India in all the matches. The two senior players are expected to be back for India in the Test series against South Africa. Rohit is likely to lead India in the series, which will be crucial for India as far as their campaign in the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle is concerned.