FILE PHOTO: Cricket - Fourth Test - India v Australia - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India - March 10, 2023 India's Rohit Sharma in action REUTERS/Amit Dave
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India captain Rohit Sharma said his team mates should consider skipping the occasional match during the Indian Premier League (IPL) to manage their workload ahead of the Cricket World Cup on home soil later this year.
A recurring back injury kept middle order batter Shreyas Iyer out of the home one-day series against Australia, which the tourists won 2-1 on Wednesday, while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been out since September due to back issues.
Rohit acknowledged that IPL sides will look to field their best team in every match and said it was up to the players to look after 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 played down the struggles of Suryakumar Yadav during the ODI series, the world's top ranked T20 batter falling 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."
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Peter Rutherford)
