Team India skipper Rohit Sharma is hopeful of having all selected players for the World Cup fit and raring to go in the marquee event in the country. The Men in Blue will be without the services of Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, and Hardik Pandya for the final ODI against Australia in Rajkot.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who were rested for the first two games of the series, are back in the line-up, but Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami, who played the first two games, will not play the final game against Australia in Rajkot.
Speaking to the media ahead of the 3rd ODI in Rajkot, Rohit Sharma is hoping to have all players fit heading into the World Cup and revealed that the team will have only a 13 men’s squad for the final game with few players being unavailable and rested for the team.
The Indian captain wants every player to come good in the World Cup after taking a rest for some time.
“We have time till 28 to finalize the World Cup squad. Keeping my fingers crossed that there is no injury and everyone remains in good form and health.
“Currently, we have only 13 players to choose from. Gill has been rested. Shami and Hardik have gone home for personal reasons. And Axar is not available too. Also, some of the players have been hit by viral.
“So, there is a lot of uncertainty in the team at this point in time which we cannot help. But in the next few weeks, it’s very important to look after the players and their well-being. So, it’s good for them to be at home and return afresh for the World Cup,” Rohit Sharma said.
Indian team will be hoping all the players to fit for the ODI World Cup in India, as the form and fitness of the players will be crucial for the team’s chances in the marquee event and the Men in Blue will play all their nine games in different venues in the country.
In The Last Two ODIs, We Saw How Well He Bowled – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma was pleased with the performance of the experienced Ravichandran Ashwin in the first two games and hailed for his impressive bowling in Mohali and Indore, which eventually helped the Indian team to win the series 2-0 before the start of the World Cup.
“R Ashwin has got the class, the experience of playing the sport, and handling pressure. It’s just that he hasn’t played this format in the last one year. In the last two ODIs, we saw how well he bowled. We have a lot of backups ready,” Rohit Sharma added.
Axar Patel is expected to be fit in time for the World Cup 2023, but BCCI selector Ajit Agarkar had pointed out that both R Ashwin and Washington Sundar would be the ready options in case Axar did not recover in time for the World Cup.