Kohli rested for SL ODI series after indicating tiredness with "robot" remark

ICC World Twenty20 India 2016:  India v Australia

Virat Kohli has been rested for the 3-match ODI series series against Sri Lanka upon request for a break from cricket because of workload. Kohli will be replaced by batsman, Rohit Sharma as captain for the series which starts from December 10th.

"Im not a robot, you can slice my skin and check if I still bleed," said Kohli at the beginning of the Sri Lankan series.

Sharma, who hit a brilliant century in India's 2nd Test against the Sri Lankans, will most probably lead the Indian side for the T20i series too if Kohli does not return. The Indian selectors have decided to rest Kohli ahead of India's tour of South Africa in January .

Kohli has played nine tests, 26 ODI's and 10 T20s and more international cricket than any other current Indian player.

Hardik Pandya, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who opted out of the 2nd and 3rd Test to get married, will return to the 15 man squad, while Ashwin and Jadeja are still ignored. Fast bowler Siddharth Kaul and batsman Shreyas Iyer, who recently represented India in T20's are also in the 15 man squad. Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav are the three spin options available for the three-match ODI series for India.

India will play the final Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday in New Dehli under Kohli's captaincy. Shikhar Dhawan, who pulled out of the 2nd Test due to personal reasons, will also be making a comeback in the national team for the 3rd and final Test. It was earlier announced that the squad for the South African will be announced before the 3rd match starts.

India's Squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka:

Rohit Sharma (C) Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Panday, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthi, M.S. Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Buhveshnwar Kumar, and Siddarth Kaul.

Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news

Quick Links

Edited by Anuradha Santhanam
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications