Virat Kohli is not a machine but a human being, says Ravi Shastri
After Virat Kohli's neck injury concern, Ravi Shastri has explained that the player is a human, not a machine who can remain injury free aways. Meanwhile, Surrey Director Alec Stewart has asserted that it’s hugely disappointing that Virat Kohli won’t be joining Surrey for county cricket.
Virat Kohli suffered a neck injury during Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 17. Talking about workload, Kohli appeared in nine Tests, 29 ODIs, and 9 T20Is for India since June 2017. Adding to the tally, he also played all 14 matches for RCB in the IPL 2018. The Indian captain was to play 6 games for Surrey in June and now with this neck injury, Kohli could miss initial part of India’s tour of Ireland and England. However, Ravi Shastri has come out in full support for skipper Virat Kohli. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Shastri said that Kohli is a human being and not a machine.
“He had to skip the county stint because he is not a top dog. He is not a machine but a human being. It is not a case of putting rocket fuel up his backside and getting him on the park. Even a top dog can’t be given rocket fuel up his backside,” the coach added.
As reports suggest yesterday, Virat Kohli consulted a top Mumbai-based orthopedic specialist on Wednesday afternoon and the doctor advised him that he should avoid going to Surrey. Kohli’s stint at Surrey in South London was being eagerly awaited and this sudden change of plan means there is likely to be some loss of revenue for the club and Surrey expressed their disappointment on the matter.
“It’s hugely disappointing that Virat won’t be joining Surrey for the month of June but we understand injuries happen and we have to respect the decision of the BCCI medical team to pull him from his stint with us,” Surrey Director of Cricket, Alec Stewart said.
Kohli will now begin training and have to undergo a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore from June 15. Kohli has been playing non-stop cricket for quite some time now and the burden of captaincy is putting extra stress on his body and mind. The 29-year-old also complained about neck problem during the South Africa tour when he skipped aT20I.
