Kohli cautious about fast bowlers' workload in busy home season

India are scheduled to play another 10 Tests apart from eight ODIs and T20Is at home in the 2016-17 season and already fast bowlers Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been sidelined with injuries, and injury-prone fast bowler Mohammed Shami’s fitness and rhythm is turning out to be crucial in the scheme of things.

Sharma is yet to recover from chikungunya while Kumar picked up an injury in the second Test in Kolkata. The duo and Shami, who impressed on his Test return, have been rested for the upcoming five-match ODI series against the Kiwis.

“For the one-day matches, they`ve been given rest because it`s a long Test season and we need the bowlers fresh,” Kohli was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

The fast bowlers accounted for 15 wickets in spin-friendly conditions in the opening two Tests that saw the hosts take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series to reclaim the top spot in the ICC Test rankings after winning the second Test in Kolkata by a massive 178 runs.

Kumar's five-wicket haul in the first innings in Kolkata and Shami’s spell in the second innings, where he took three wickets, were instrumental in setting up the win.

“Shami is someone who has come back very well, he`s worked very hard on his fitness as well. You can see he`s able to bowl those five-six over spells now,” Kohli said of the speedster.

“As captain I feel that he`s a very important bowler for us in this full season and in future, as well. Looking at the near future, his fitness and rhythm is very, very important," Kohli said.

Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson, who missed the second Test with a viral illness, also admitted that the Indian fast bowlers have outperformed the Kiwi pacers in the series so far.

“In the last game the seam bowlers made a bigger impact. We did not know coming here that reverse swing would be quite effective. They exploited reverse swing better than us,” he said.

“In this part of the world they exploit the conditions better than anyone. We certainly hope we can turn it around in this game," Williamson added.