Reports : Rohit Sharma disagrees with Virat Kohli about resting fast bowlers in IPL ahead of World Cup

Reports : Rohit Sharma disagrees with Virat Kohli about resting fast bowlers in IPL ahead of World Cup

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According to reports, India’s ODI vice captain Rohit Sharma was not on the same page with Virat Kohli after the latter suggested resting fast bowlers in IPL ahead of the 2019 World Cup. The Mumbai Indians skipper has stated that he won’t be resting his key bowlers if his team reaches the playoffs.

It was during the meeting in October, where BCCI’s CoA officials, Ravi Shastri, MS Prasad, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli – all were present, when the Indian skipper had reportedly proposed the idea of not playing India’s fast bowlers and rest them ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.

It was bitterly evident on India’s last tour of England that the Men in Blue are pretty much handicapped without Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah in the side. The two pacers have become one of limited-overs’ best in recent years and Bhuvneshwar’s absence was felt during the Test series that India eventually lost 4-1.

While Kohli’s concerns are justified, it has also been reported that Rohit Sharma, whose Mumbai Indians side has both Bumrah and Hardik Pandya wasn’t very agreeable with the proposal. After a forgettable IPL season in 2018 where they managed to finish fifth with 12 points after 14 games, the Mumbai franchise would want to make amends for it next year.

“ had made it clear that he would not be in a position to rest his main bowlers if the side is in the playoffs,” Mumbai Mirror quoted an unnamed official as saying.

Not only India but this has been the concern for Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board as well who have already informed BCCI that their players won’t be available beyond May. The much-anticipated tournament has been scheduled to begin on May 30 in UK, and the IPL dates as of now have been from March 29 to May 19.

Apart from Sharma, who didn’t agree to it, it was also reportedly informed to Kohli in the meeting that most franchises would oppose to it as BCCI had already committed them the best players. IPL is facing indecisiveness with venues with elections meandering over India at that time and BCCI is also reportedly exploring opportunities of advancing the dates so as to give players sufficient rest before the World Cup.

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