Rahul Dravid explains why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were rested for 2nd ODI vs WI

New Delhi : India head coach Rahul Dravid defended the decision to rest Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the 2nd ODI against West Indies and said that the team is not worried about single match or series, but they are looking forward to try as many players as they can before stepping into the World Cup.

The Indian team management's decision to rest their regular skipper Rohit and star batter Virat Kohli did not work in team’s favour as the visitors were dismissed for 181 in just 40.5 overs. Consequently, the home team achieved the target with 80 balls to spare, securing a comfortable six-wicket victory to even the three-match ODI series at 1-1.

After the match, Rahul Dravid emphasized the importance of considering the bigger picture. "With the Asia Cup and World Cup on the horizon, and taking into account the injuries we have, it becomes essential to take a broader perspective. Fretting over every single game or series would be a mistake at this stage in the cycle," he said.

"To provide opportunities for players, we took the decision to rest Virat and Rohit. Taking such risks and chances in situations like these becomes necessary when we have major events ahead. Our goal is to give the young players as many chances as we can," Dravid added.

The Indian head coach also mentioned that he is not worried about the opinions and criticism people are giving him for the decision.