NAGPUR, India: 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 the workload. 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.
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, who opted out of the second Test due to personal reasons, is the only change.
The squad for the South Africa tour is to be named before the game starts.
Kohli will be replaced as captain by batsman Rohit Sharma for the three-match one day series after the Tests.
Sharma, who hit 102 not out in the Nagpur Test, is expected to remain captain for the T20 games too, as Kohli rests and prepares for the South Africa tour.
Allrounder Hardik Pandya and fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who pulled out of the second and third Sri Lanka Test to get married, return to the 15-man squad.
Uncapped fast bowler Siddarth Kaul and young batsmen Shreyas Iyer, who has represented India in three T20 games, are also part of the one-day team.
Senior spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja continue to stay out of India’s limited-overs plans despite their superb run in the five-day format.
Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal remain the team’s three spinners in the 50-over matches against Sri Lanka.
The first of the three ODIs will be played in Dharamsala on December 10.
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
India squad for one day series against Sri Lanka:
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul.
India to rest star Kohli before South Africa tour
India to rest star Kohli before South Africa tour
Al-Attiyah claims victory at 2026 Hail Baja international rally
HAIL: The Hail Baja Toyota International Rally 2026 ended on Saturday with Nasser Al-Attiyah claiming overall victory, completing the event in a total time of 4 hours, 6 minutes, 23 seconds. Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished second with 4:07:05, while Dania Akeel secured third place with 4:20:47.
The event was organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport, the Hail Region Emirate and the Hail Region Development Authority, with Jameel Motorsport as official partner alongside the Saudi Motorsport Marshals Club.
The winners were crowned by Mansour Al-Mokbel, CEO of Saudi Motorsport Company, in the presence of Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, chairman of the Hail Region Development Authority board.
The ceremony followed the second and final stage of the rally, which was hosted in Baqaa and covered a total distance of 323 km, including 151 km of the timed special stage.
The event brought together 152 drivers and navigators from 26 nationalities, including 72 Saudis, with 93 vehicles competing across six categories.
Overall classification — Hail Baja Toyota International Rally 2026
FIA Ultimate Category
Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar)
Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Saudi Arabia)
Dania Akeel (Saudi Arabia)
FIA Challenger Category
Yasir Bin Saiedan (Saudi Arabia)
Hamad Al-Wuhaibi (Oman)
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (Qatar)
FIA SSV Category
Fernando Alvarez (Argentina)
Mansour Al-Helai (UAE)
Erik van Loon (Netherlands)
FIA Stock Category
Majed Al-Thunayan (Saudi Arabia)
Abdullah Al-Shegawi (Saudi Arabia)
Al-Mashna Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
FIM Motorcycles Category
Alex McInnes (Great Britain)
Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE)
Sultan Al-Balooshi (UAE)
FIM Quad Bikes Category
Hani Al-Noumesi (Saudi Arabia)
Abdulaziz Al-Atwi (Saudi Arabia)
Ahmed Al-Jaber (Saudi Arabia)
Saudi Toyota Baja Championship
Ultimate Cars Category
Faris Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
Motab Al-Qnon (Saudi Arabia)
Khalaf Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
SSV Category
Prince Sultan bin Turki bin Sultan (Saudi Arabia)
Mashael Al-Huwaish (Saudi Arabia)
Abdulmoeen Al-Shawaf (Saudi Arabia)
Stock Category
Mohammed Al-Asiri (Saudi Arabia)
Salem Al-Quraini (Saudi Arabia)
Hatem Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)
The Hail Baja international rally is considered one of the region’s premier motorsport events. It has been a key fixture on the desert rally calendar for more than two decades, offering high standards and an exciting sporting experience for both competitors and spectators. The rally also holds an important position on the calendars of several regional and international championships, reinforcing its status as one of the standout cross-country rallies in the region and reflecting Saudi Arabia’s growing reputation as a global motorsport destination.
