|| India Correspondent ||
Team India are all set to take on England in a three-match ODI series. Prior to the series, India captain Virat Kohli has confirmed the opening pair as well. he said that Shikhar Dhawan, who was dropped from the team after the first T20I, will open along with Rohit Sharma in the first ODI against England at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
"As far as the opening partnership is concerned, Shikhar and Rohit will definitely start. When it comes to ODI cricket, I don’t think there is any issue or doubt over Rohit or Shikhar opening together. They have been amazing for us in the past few years," said Kohli while speaking to the media in the pre-match media interaction.
Dhawan had sustained a thumb injury during a World Cup match against Australia in 2019 and since then, he has played nine ODIs only and he has scored 2, 36, 74, 96, 74, 30 and 16 in the seven times he has batted, with an average of 46.85 as well.
After this series, players will be busy in the 2021 edition of IPL and then they will travel to England for the World Test Championship final where India play New Zealand. Meanwhile, India will host the T20 World Cup late this year as well. However, Kohli said that scheduling is not in their hands and they will have to look at the workload and manage it properly.
"Scheduling is something that is not in our control. For us, it is an international game. Every international game is important and has value. It is an opportunity to represent your team and for us that remains the sole focus. Yes, as I have said many times in the past that scheduling and workload is something that everyone has to be aware of and keep an eye out for. Especially in today’s day and age where you just don’t know when the restrictions might come in and you may even have to play in bubbles in the future," added Kohli.
"I think it is very important to consider how much cricket you are playing – not just the physical side of things but also the mental side of things. The players need to be spoken to and consulted with. Otherwise it is going to be a case with whoever can last through difficult times, players who don’t last move away and someone else replaces that player. I don’t think that is healthy for the cricket system and cricket culture moving forward. We definitely want to make it (system and culture) stronger and stronger going forward in the future," he concluded.