India rests Kohli for World Cup warm-up series against Australia

India will rest four of their best ODI players for the first two matches of their World Cup warm-up series, which kicks of on Friday in Mohali.

The hosts, coming fresh off their Asia Cup victory, have chosen to sideline four integral members from the first two games of the series against the Aussies.

Among those to be rested are skipper Rohit Sharma, with KL Rahul set to take the helm. The line-up will also miss the presence of stalwarts Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav.

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It’s worth noting that India has had a packed schedule this month, playing six ODIs while clinching the Asia Cup.

While the third match will showcase the squad that’s gearing up to represent India at their home World Cup.

The Australian will still face a challenging line-up, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar, both available for the entire warm-up series and pushing to be included in the primary World Cup squad.

Ashwin, predominantly known for his prowess in Test cricket and having played his last ODI in January 2022, was surprisingly left out from the provisional squad announced a few weeks ago.

Another point of contention is the fitness of Axar Patel, who sat out during the Asia Cup final due to a quadricep injury. Though named for the concluding ODI of the series, his inclusion hangs in the balance, hinging on his fitness levels.

Australia has some issues of its own after squandering a 2-0 series lead, losing 2-3 in their best of five series against South Africa. They also suffered a key injury blow with Travis Head injuring a hand and expected to miss the majority of the World Cup.

The India v Australia warm-up games are scheduled from September 22-27, across Mohali, Indore, and Rajkot.

The ODI Cricket World Cup is due to begin on October 5, with Australia and India due to begin their campaigns against each other in Chennai on October 8.

Australian online bookmakers are yet to launch odds for the first ODI warm-up against India, but betting will be available closer to the game starting.

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