Ravindra Jadeja to Replace Hardik Pandya in India's Playing XI for 1st ODI Against Australia, Hints Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, on the eve of the first ODI match against Australia, said that he was not too worried about the chances of Hardik Pandya being banned from playing in the series. Kohli said that the Indian team already has a suitable replacement in the form of Ravindra Jadeja who can fill in that (all-rounder) role if the need arises.

While speaking in the press conference of the series opener on Saturday, Virat Kohli said, “We played in India against the West Indies with a finger spinner and a wrist spinner. So it’s good that we have someone like Jadeja who can do the all-rounder’s role if a scenario like that occurs.” Virat Kohli's Retirement Plan Revealed! Here's What Indian Captain Said Ahead of IND vs AUS ODI Series 2019: Watch Video.

Kohli further added, “So we are not too stressed as a team (about the Pandya situation) because you’ll always have things that you can do in terms of creating that balance for the side. And hence, we keep players who can provide balance with bat and ball as a backup anyway.”

Commenting on India’s ICC World Cup 2019 plans, Kohli said, “The fact we have not many games left before the World Cup, and hence we want to play the side that more or less will feature in the World Cup… But apart from that, I don’t think combination-wise we are going to look to tinker too much.” Kedar Jadhav Shares Selfies With Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni Ahead of India vs Australia ODI Series 2019: View Pictures.

Australia might have rested their frontline pace bowlers – Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc – for the series, but Kohli said that the team wasn’t going to take anything for granted. He said, “You cannot take anything lightly. We got beaten in the first T20 game we played in Brisbane. In Australia, you don’t take anything for granted.”

Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul are in the dock for their distasteful comments about women on Koffee With Karan 6, which is hosted by Karan Johar. CoA member Diana Edulji is seeking indefinite suspension on the duo for their insensitive comments on the talk show. India vs Australia ODI Series 2019 Schedule: Complete Fixtures, Match Dates, Timetable, and Venue Details.

It will be interesting to see if BCCI sends other players as a replacement if the need arises. Also, it will be exciting to see what team combination does Virat Kohli plays in the three-match ODI series. The first match will begin on January 12, in Sydney.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2019 05:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).