Indian fans were a bit surprised to see Hardik Pandya at the toss ahead of the fifth T20I against West Indies on Sunday, August 7. With Rohit Sharma fit and having played all the T20Is so far in this series, it indeed was surprising that he has missed out on making it to the playing XI of the final game of the series. So why is Rohit Sharma not playing in the fifth T20I against West Indies? IND vs WI 5th T20I 2022 Toss Report & Playing XI: Hardik Pandya Leads in Rohit Sharma’s Absence As India Opt To Bat

Well, stand-in skipper, Hardik Pandya clarified that he was leading the side as Rohit Sharma along with Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been rested. So that's a relief for fans who might have thought that he is injured. India have already won the series 3-1 and this has provided an opportunity to the Men in Blue to test and try out some new faces.

The T20 World Cup 2022 is coming up in Australia later this year and such games give India a perfect opportunity to test the bench strength and analyze available options for the showpiece event. Also, senior players like Rohit Sharma, who is going to be very important for the event in Australia, will need to be given proper rest as tournaments are coming in thick and fast. Sharma will lead India in the Asia Cup tournament slated to be held at the end of this month and India would want him to not be overworked before that.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 07, 2022 08:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).