Rohit Sharma focusing on workload management before Bangladesh Test series

Team India is ready for the upcoming home Test series against Bangladesh. Before the beginning of a busy Test cricket schedule, Indian captain Rohit Sharma opened up about the importance of workload management. 

India will start their 10-match Test campaign this week with the two-match home Test series opener against Bangladesh at Chennai. After hosting Bangladesh, including a three-match T20I series, India will host a three-match Test series against New Zealand. 

After hosting the Test series against New Zealand, India will first travel to South Africa for a four-match T20I series.

In late November, India will start their five-match away Test series against the hosts Australia. All their upcoming ten Test matches are part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. 

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I think we have done that pretty well: Indian captain Rohit Sharma

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is giving importance to workload management, which majorly focuses on pacers' workload. Talking about it, Rohit opened up their workload management during the five-match home Test series against England early this year, which India won by 4-1 after losing the opening Test of that series.

Rohit said, according to ESPNcricinfo, "We have laid out some plans on how we are going to manage these bowlers. But again, it all depends on the workload that has been carried by them in these games. So yeah, we will monitor that. I think we have done that pretty well. Even when we played against England [at home, earlier this year], we managed to get Bumrah one Test match off. We managed to give Siraj one Test match off.

"So it all depends on how the body feels at that particular time, what the [strength and conditioning] is, and what the physios feel about them, when is the right time to give them a break from the game, and then take the call."

You want your best players to play all the games: Rohit Sharma

Rohit further clarified that the best players couldn't play all matches during the long cricket season. In this situation, team management becomes crucial for the Indian captain. 

The Indian captain added, "You want your best players to play all the games, but that's not possible because there is so much cricket that happens. It is not only Test cricket, there is T20 cricket happening [against Bangladesh and South Africa] in the middle of the Test series as well. So you [have] got to understand everything, and then see what is best for the team and then manage your bowlers around it."

We saw some exciting prospects in the Duleep Trophy as well: Rohit Sharma

Rohit also praised the pace bowlers, who have performed well in the ongoing Duleep Trophy. He is very happy with a strong pool of new Indian pacers. 

Rohit said, "We have got a lot of bowlers who are there for us. We saw some exciting prospects in the Duleep Trophy as well. I am not too worried about the kind of bowlers that are waiting in the wings for us."

In the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024/25, the right-arm pacer Anshul Kamboj is the leading wicket-taker with 11 wickets, including 8/69 during India B’s first innings. 

Mukesh Kumar has taken 10 wickets in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, while Akash Deep and Khaleel Ahmed have picked up nine wickets each, and the fast bowler Harshit Rana bagged eight wickets. Bengal pacer Akash Deep claimed a fifer and four-fer in his only match of the tournament against India B.