• Rohit suggests India’s IPL players to control their workload.
• Middle order batter Shreyas Iyer missed the home DDI series.
• Bumrah has been sidelined since September due to back troubles.

India captain Rohit Sharma has suggested that his teammates consider skipping a game or two during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in order to manage their workload ahead of the Cricket World Cup on home soil later this year.

Middle order batter Shreyas Iyer missed the home one-day series against Australia, which the tourists won 2-1 on Wednesday, due to a persistent back problem, while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been sidelined since September due to back troubles.

Rohit recognized that IPL teams will want to pitch their strongest team in every match and said it was up to the players to take care of themselves ahead of the World Cup in October-November.

“It’s all up to the franchises now. They own them now,” Rohit, who leads Mumbai Indians in the IPL, told reporters after India’s 21-run loss in Chennai on Wednesday.

“We have given some indications to the teams but at the end of the day, it’s up to the franchises, and more importantly, it’s up to the players.

“They are all adults, they have to look after their bodies.

“If they feel it’s getting a bit too much, they can talk about it and take a break in one or two games. I doubt if that will happen.”

In terms of form, Rohit downplayed Suryakumar Yadav’s problems during the ODI series, in which the world’s top-ranked T20 batsman fell for a first-ball duck in each of the three matches.

“I don’t know how much to look into it. He got three good balls, to be honest,” Rohit said.

“He plays spin so well … That’s why we held him back and gave him that role for the last 15-20 overs where he can play his game, but it’s really unfortunate he could only play three balls. That can happen to anyone.”

[embedpost slug=”sania-mirzas-squad-was-eliminated-from-womens-ipl/”]