Shastri on WC ODI team: Rest period over, no chopping and changing now

India head coach Ravi Shastri during a media interaction at the BCCI headquarters at Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

No more experiments. From now on, Virat Kohli and the think tank will focus only on those players who are certainties for the ODI World Cup in England next year. On the eve of the team's departure to Australia yesterday, India's head coach Ravi Shastri made it clear: "As far as one-day cricket is concerned, we will try and play close to the 15 [players] who will go to the World Cup. Chopping, changing over; rest period over. Now is the time to play as a unit. Hopefully, we will not have injuries to make us look elsewhere," Shastri said in the BCCI headquarters at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday.

India will play three ODIs against Australia Down Under and then take on New Zealand in Kiwiland for five limited overs matches. Australia will tour India in February for five ODI matches. "We have eight good games now in Australia and New Zealand and then five here against Australia. We will try and play the best team at all times," said Shastri.

India players celebrate a wicket during the fifth ODI against WI earlier this month. Pic/AFP

Team India will start its Australia campaign with the three-match T20I series which kicks off in Brisbane on November 21. The team will then proceed to Adelaide for the first Test from December 6 before competing in three ODI's in January next year. Kohli & Co will want to trounce the men from Down Under in the ODI series after enduring a 1-4 loss in the 2015-16 series.

Catch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates