Virat Kohli issues burn-out warning to BCCI owing to "hectic" schedule
getty
Skipper Virat Kohli has finally addressed the issue of team India’s hectic playing schedule stating that the players need to be rotated occasionally to prevent burn out in the overseas tours. India have played a Test series, 15 ODIs and four T20Is in the last four months with hardly any break.
India kick-off their next ODI series on Sunday as they host New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium. And while India
India’s relentless playing schedule has been a burning issue in the BCCI meetings with coach Ravi Shastri even asking to make changes to it in a video conference with the Committee of Administrators. Now, the team skipper, Virat Kohli, has addressed it too.
Speaking ahead of the game against a well-rested side, Kohli said, “…It’s become quite hectic. That’s something we will definitely have to sit and discuss in future. Because, if you look at New Zealand, they haven’t played any cricket after Champions Trophy. There has been such a good lay off. It can be the difference in doing well in a big tournament and performing poorly.”
India made three changes in their squad from the side that played against Australia. The likes of Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav have been dropped out of the squad with Shardul Thakur coming in. Kohli explained that the rotation was done keeping in mind the overseas tours coming up in few months.
He said, “Everyone needs time to come back, especially the fast bowlers. So, we are doing that now with Umesh (Yadav) and (Mohammad) Shami. We want them fresh for a Test season coming up. We don’t want overtired players and that’s something we have spoken about already.”
Not only bowlers but some key batsmen will also see the bench in the next few games where India host New Zealand and Sri Lanka back to back. “Even some of the key batsmen will definitely get some rest in the future weeks because of the importance of the away tours coming up. So, we will have to figure out ways to do that. But it’s certainly a thing that we need to discuss for the future as well,” said Kohli.
India
However, Kohli has stated that enough rest and time to prepare would be key to their consistency. He said, “We are expected to perform on a consistent basis. But I think the rest and time to prepare should be adequate for all. This should not be an area where players are changed according to form, you need to look at all aspects in terms of how many games you are playing, how much rest you are getting.”
