India’s squad for West Indies tour got announced on June 15, the day of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 semi-final. There was a surprise exclusion from the side for the Caribbean tour as opener Rohit Sharma was rested for the tournament. He got replaced by Delhi Daredevils’ wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant in the side who was also one of the members in the standby squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
On being asked why Rohit has been left out of the squad ahead of the West Indies tour, Kohli had a tactical reply to the question to substantiate the decision. He said, “Rohit has come back (post injury) and had a full IPL (Indian Premier League) season. It has been hectic, he reached the finals, he got lesser rest than anyone else. Plus, he had a massive hip surgery, so, muscles around that area are always vulnerable,”
The Indian skipper also let out inside information as he said, “Today also, he had a bit of stiffness in the right knee and we decided that the smart decision is to rest a guy who has been playing. There’s no doubt about Rohit’s ability, what he brings to the team. We need to protect him going further because later half of the year we have massive tours coming up and his batting contribution will be a huge factor for us,”
“We want him to be careful because after a massive surgery you do need to careful. You push yourself little too hard then snaps again, you are out for 7-8 months. I think it’s a cautious decision by everyone to give him a break, he is making the most of the form he is right now and I am sure he also knows and understands the whole situation,” he added.
Rohit scored a brilliant knock of 123 from 129 balls and helped India chase down a modest total of 265 from Bangladesh in the semi-finals. Rohit will be a key player in the final against Pakistan keeping in mind his current form in the tournament.
