The conditioning camp for MS Dhoni-led Indian side prior to the limited-overs series against England has been called off as few senior players are not in favour of it.
According to reports, the players were asked by head coach Anil Kumble to attend the camp in Bengaluru from January 6 to 12. With the squad set to be announced around the first week of January, the team management was reportedly looking to use the camp as an opportunity to decide on the final squad.
However, with the majority of the players coming off from a busy home schedule where they played eight Tests and five ODIs apart from the four-match Test series in the West Indies, some senior members of the team asked for more rest. And now, instead of the conditioning camp, the squad will have an extended net session before the first One-Day International in Pune on January 15.
“The likes of Kohli wanted more rest before the ODI and T20 series against England and that is why the camp was called off. The team will have an extended nets sessions in Pune now,“ a BCCI source said Times of India.
“The team management did weigh the work-load on the cricketers. But there are some like ODI captain MS Dhoni who will have a good opportunity at the camp to get into the groove,“ the source added.
Meanwhile, the selectors will have a lot to think about when they sit down to pick the squad for the ODIs and T20Is. The team has been plagued with several injuries which might force the selectors to name a new-look team. Moreover, the selectors are also reportedly looking to rest the spin trio- Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav, which might pave the way for some new comers.