India rest Kohli ahead of Proteas tour
India's captain and star batsman Virat Kohli will be rested for the one-day matches against Sri Lanka after the ongoing Test series ends, selectors said Monday.
Kohli has stepped up calls in recent weeks for a break from cricket because of a packed calendar. India, the world's top Test nation, start a demanding tour of South Africa in January.
"I'm not a robot, you can slice my skin and check if I still bleed," Kohli said before the Sri Lanka series started.
He has played more international cricket in 2017 than any other Indian player -- nine Tests, 26 one-day internationals and 10 T20s.
The squad for India's tour of South Africa is expected to be named later this week.
India will go into the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in New Delhi on Saturday with Kohli leading the squad that hammered the visitors in the second Test.
The return of batsman Shikhar Dhawan is the only change.
Kohli will be replaced as captain by batsman Rohit Sharma for the three-match one day series after the Tests.
Sharma is expected to remain captain for the T20 games too, as Kohli rests and prepares for the South Africa tour.
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka:
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar