IND vs AUS: Rohit Sharma drops hints on carrying Mayank Yadav for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Published - 15 Oct 2024, 05:26 PM | Updated - 15 Oct 2024, 05:35 PM
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India captain Rohit Sharma revealed the reason for Mayank Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and others' inclusion as traveling reserves for the New Zealand series.
Rohit Sharma said that they wanted to keep these players close to the squad to monitor their workloads and assess their readiness for Test cricket.
The Indian selectors have picked a 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match series against New Zealand, set to begin in Bengaluru on October 16.
Mayank Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana have also been named as traveling reserves for the upcoming home series.
A Lot Of These Guys Have Had Injuries In The Past - Rohit Sharma
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Rohit Sharma said that they want to build bench strength in the bowling department. Rohit said that they are considering taking these players to Australia for the highly anticipated Test series later this year.
"The reason we wanted to keep them close to us is because we are thinking of taking them to Australia. We just want to monitor them, and see their workloads. A lot of these guys have had injuries in the past. So, it's important to build them up and see what they can offer. We want to create bench strength, we want to create fast bowlers," Rohit told reporters.
We Want To Do The Same With The Bowlers As Well - Rohit Sharma
The Indian skipper said that they have eight or nine options available to the team rather than just three or four. He added that they want to create more depth in the bowling department like they have in batting. Rohit stated that these players have participated in the Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup.
"We have 8 or 9 options with us. It's not about 3 or 4. When it comes to batting, we have a lot of options, we want to do the same with the bowlers as well," Rohit added.
"So we wanted to keep them close to the squad. Tomorrow, if we feel they are ready to take the field, we should have them prepared. They have played in the Duleep Trophy and the Irani Cup as well. We just want to make sure they are monitored well."
We Want To Keep Them - Rohit Sharma
The 37-year-old batter said that they would assess whether the players are ready for Test cricket. He admitted that they haven't had much experience with red-ball cricket, but they have shown promise in a short time.
"We have seen some talent in them. They haven't played a lot of red-ball cricket, but we want to try and groom and bring them as close to the team as possible. In a short period of time, they have shown they have some ability as well."
"We want to see if they are ready for Test cricket. We want to keep them and see what they can offer us. We want to create bench strength so that if something happens to someone tomorrow, we will not be worried."
Mayank has played only one first-class match, where he took two wickets with an average of 23.00. Nitish has played 20 first-class games, scoring 627 runs at an average of 20.22. He has also taken 54 wickets at an impressive average of 25.61.
