Team India selectors on Wednesday rested senior statesmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies, starting July 22. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Mohammad Shami, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah also missed out due to workload management amidst a busy cricketing schedule.
Soon after the announcement, there was a hue and cry on social media. Considering Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's indifferent batting form in recent times, the selectors' decision to rest them didn't sit well with the Indian cricket fans. They felt the duo should have participated in this series, which could have helped the stalwarts regain their batting rhythm.
Even former Indian bowling all-rounder Irfan Pathan took a dig at the move, tweeting:
"No one comes back to form while resting..."
Fans' reaction to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli skipping the WI tour
Fans expressed their displeasure through fascinating memes on social media. Here is a collection of some of the best memes:
Shikhar Dhawan to lead Team India in the absence of Rohit Sharma
Selectors decided to hand over the ODI captaincy to Shikhar Dhawan for the three-match series against West Indies in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma. It is the second captaincy stint for the southpaw after having led a second-string Indian side during the Sri Lanka tour in 2021.
After the first ODI on July 22, the second and third matches of the series will be played on July 24 and 27, respectively. Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, will host all three games.
India's squad for West Indies ODIs
Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
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