Speculation that India's cricket Captain Virat Kohli has sought a break in December to get married refuses to die down.
M S K Prasad, the chairman of the selectors, clearly stated on Monday that Kohli will play all three Tests in the series against Sri Lanka, which begins next month.
We are
monitoring his workload, he has been playing continuously right from the IPL till today. We need to give him a break which we will consider after the Test series," Prasad told the media in Mumbai after naming the team for the first two games in the Sri Lanka series, which begins in Kolkata on November 16.
Interestingly, Prasad & Co named the team for only the first two Tests, giving Kohli room to take a break after these games.
The third Test is from December 2 to 6. The rest of the month sees three ODIs and three T20Is against Lanka.
ohli is apparently taking the time out to wed his long-time girlfriend, Bollywood star Anushka Sharma.
He has sought a long break from the game before the team embarks on a strenous tour of South Africa in January.
"With regard to Virat Kohli, there is some speculation that he is going to be rested for the whole of the Sri Lankan series, it is not correct," Prasad said.
"As far as the Test series is concerned he is going to play. At some point of time, the rotation policy that we are following will also apply to the captain," Prasad added.
A report in the Indian Express newspaper on Monday stated that Kohli had written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India asking for a break in December, citing 'personal reasons'.
'Kohli has informed the BCCI that there are some personal reasons and that is why he won't be available in December. Kohli has been playing non-stop cricket for quite some time now and he certainly would like to be fresh for the South Africa tour in January,' a BCCI source was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The other players, who consistently feature in all formats, will be rotated in the coming months, Prasad added.
"Considering the workload, considering the international schedule that we have right now, we are definitely rotating the players. It is premature to say right now whom we are (resting)," the chairman of the selectors said.
"If you see the pattern with which we are selecting," he explained, "you can clearly see and we will let you know at the appropriate time who we are resting. One thing is for sure, we are definitely going to rotate and monitor the workload of the players."
Prasad asserted there was no concern about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's form and the former skipper looks set to be part of the Indian team for the 50 overs World Cup in England in 2019.
"He is really doing well, so as of now there's no real cause of concern. He is still one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen we have, not only in India, but also in the world," Prasad, a former India wicket-keeper, said.
"The batting order is not just about MS, but also about other positions in the batting order," Prasad added.
"There's something going on prior to a big event. Six or seven months prior to the World Cup, we should have a consolidated batting line-up and then we should stick to it."
Interestingly, the latest advertisement for the Manyavar stores, above, features Anushka and Virat at a wedding reception.