India vs South Africa 2022: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma likely to be rested for T20Is

Virat Kohli is going through a lean patch and he is likely to be rested for South Africa T20Is. Also, Rohit Sharma could be rested to give him an adequate bubble break.

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It has not been Virat Kohli's time of late. He has consistently struggled in scoring runs both at the international level and in the Indian Premier League (IPL). While he remains without an international century for almost 30 months, he is also without an IPL ton for virtually three years. As a result, critics and experts have called for Kohli to be rested and feel that he needs an extended break from the sport to get his head straight and regain his composure and form. In the same light, he could be rested for the upcoming Twenty20 International (T20I) series against South Africa at home next month, alongside skipper Rohit Sharma.

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As per PTI, the All-India Senior Selection Committee, headed by Chetan Charma, has reportedly recommended Kohli a rest before the high-profile tour of the United Kingdom (UK) in July. India plays a couple of T20Is in Ireland, followed by a Test and three T20Is and One-Day Internationals (ODIs) each in England.

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"Virat Kohli in all probability will be rested for the South Africa series. He has been playing a lot of cricket and has been in the bubble for a long time. It has been a policy decision regarding Kohli and other senior players that they will be given periodic breaks from time to time," a BCCI official told the agency.

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Also, Rohit has been playing too much cricket of late and has stayed for a considerably long time in the bubble, as his performance in IPL 2022 for record five-time former champion Mumbai Indians (MI) has not been quite impressive. Thus, he could be rested too, while Jasprit Bumrah could lead the side against Proteas.

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"Even skipper Rohit Sharma would require adequate rest with so much cricket being played. Some of the others include KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, who all from time to time will need rest," the official added. Meanwhile, rookies like pacers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh, who have fared well in IPL 2022 are likely to be in contention against SA, as the resting of the players could be shuffled for two or three matches during the series.