DELHI – Virat Kohli has been rested for the upcoming Asia Cup 2018, scheduled to take place in the UAE from September 15 to 28.
In the absence of Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma will lead the squad with Shikhar Dhawan as vice-captain, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Saturday.
According to BCCI, the resting decision has been taken following the overburdened tour of England.
“Considering the workload we have given Virat Kohli rest. He has been playing continuously for quite some time. We need to preserve some of our precious players who are playing all three formats, looking at that workload we have started with Virat, he will be rested for Asia Cup.”
This year’s Asia Cup will feature India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan while the sixth team will be determined via a playoff that includes UAE, Hong Kong, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, and Oman.
Indian squad for Asia Cup 2018
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthk, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Khaleel Ahmed, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah
