India likely to rest Rohit Sharma for Australia series; Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul to get recalled

New Delhi, Feb 12: India's limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma is likely to be rested for a part of the upcoming series against Australia, starting February 24.

As per reports, the Indian team management is looking to manage the workload of the big stars to give them ample rest to ensure they remain fit for the ICC World Cup 2019. Team India is set to play two T20Is and five ODIs against Australia at home with their regular skipper Virat Kohli returning to the side. Kohli was rested for the last two ODIs and the T20I series against New Zealand.

The selection committee will be announcing India squad for the highly-anticipated limited-overs series on February 15.

A BCCI source was quoted by IANS as saying, "Like you saw, regular skipper Virat Kohli was rested for the back end of the New Zealand series. You might see Rohit Sharma rested for some games here."

The BCCI source further added, "But it is also important to note that the Indians would want to keep the foot on the pedal and ensure that they don't give the Australians any momentum going into the World Cup. A good series against India would mean a confidence booster for the team. So, there has to be a balance so that the composition of the team is not affected."

In Rohit's absence, Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul could be included in the Indian side.