Rohit and Kohli star attractions as India’s preparation for Champions Trophy begins in earnest

Rohit and Kohli star attractions as India’s preparation for Champions Trophy begins in earnest (PTI Photo)

The galacticos are back, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both had initially thought about skipping the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka that starts in Colombo on Friday. After the T20 World Cup, they probably wanted a longer downtime. But India’s new coach Gautam Gambhir wanted them to play, and the duo agreed.

In isolation, a series against Sri Lanka is a low-key affair. But looking at the bigger picture, it assumes significance. India will play only six ODIs before the Champions Trophy next year and apart from this series, they will have just three more matches, against England in February, to fine-tune things. Gambhir has taken over from Rahul Dravid and it’s important for him to get into the groove quickly. The presence of Rohit and Kohli in the dressing room is important, for that will create the required environment for a smooth transition.

Rohit and Kohli have hung up their T20 boots and as Gambhir said, this should allow them to play in almost all the games in the other two formats. He had lengthy conversations with the senior duo during India’s practice session at Premadasa Stadium yesterday. “We spoke about the team, how we should approach things, going ahead,” Rohit said at the pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Certain things need to be looked at, with an eye on the Champions Trophy. Who will be the team’s preferred wicketkeeper-batsman? KL Rahul did the job in Rishabh Pant’s absence and performed commendably. Now that Pant is back, will there be a change? Dropping Rahul would be harsh on him. Then again, Pant carries a certain X-factor, although his white-ball performances have not been as impressive as his Test exploits. Rohit admitted that it would be a tough call to choose between the two. “Yes, it’s a problem,” he said. “But we would like to have such quality in our team. It’s a happy problem. Both are match-winners in their own way and as a captain, I would like to have these kinds of problems.”

Hardik Pandya has opted out of this series and his absence gives the Indian team management an opportunity to look at the back-up all-rounders – Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar.

Also, India need to find a third seamer and Harshit Rana is the man to watch out for. The 22-year-old looked impressive at the nets. It needs to be seen if he gets into the playing XI tomorrow.

Rohit, however, played down the Champions Trophy preparations aspect. “See, this is not a practice ground,” he said. “It’s still an international game. We will keep in our mind what we want to achieve as an international team. But this is by no means preparation or practice or anything like that.”

All said and done, the marquee ICC event is the main focus, and it gives the three ODIs against Sri Lanka a greater significance.