"They do not need breaks"- Ex-IND Star slams BCCI for giving Virat and Rohit so many breaks ahead of 2024 ODI WC

India will start their next schedule with a white-ball series against Sri Lanka starting on January 3. Both teams will play three T20Is and three ODIs. The BCCI sidelined all the senior players from the shorter format, and they have been rested from the team.

Hardik Pandya has been named the captain, while Suryakumar Yadav will be his deputy. However, the Indian board appears to be looking for youngsters for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. The decision to give a break to seniors from T20Is was welcomed by some former cricketers and experts.

On the other hand, some couldn't understand the reason for giving too many breaks to the senior players. Notably, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli are part of the ODI series starting on January 10.

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim reckons that Rohit and Virat are not at their best in T20Is and have been given a rest from the series. In a discussion with India News, Saba said that both Rohit and Virat should play in every series to get ready for the 2023 ODI World Cup.

He said, "We are used to seeing Virat Kohli at the top of the rankings. But this time, his name was not there. The same goes for Rohit Sharma. Both of these players have frequently taken breaks this year and haven't played a lot of matches. I hope that they play consistently in ODIs before the 50-over World Cup. They do not need many breaks."

The former cricketer also said that for India to win matches, both these batters needed to be back in form. Virat was part of the recently concluded Bangladesh tour, while Rohit missed the test series and the third ODI due to his thumb injury.

Furthermore, Saba pointed out that India didn't do well in the longest format in 2022, especially in South Africa and England when there was a chance to win. He claimed that only Rishabh Pant was a consistent performer for India in tests, and that no one else performed well.