Ravi Shastri during Team India’s practice session. (file photo)
Off-coloured for RCB after their poor Tuesday performance against RR Virat Kohli Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri advised him to take a break, even if it means getting out. IPL,
“I think a break is ideal for him because he has played non-stop cricket and has captained the team in all formats. It would make sense for him to take a break. You know, sometimes you have to strike a balance. This year he is already in the tournament (IPL 2022), tomorrow if push comes to shove and you want to prolong your international career and leave your mark there for 6-7 years, then out of IPL Come on, that’s all you care about,” said Shastri.
- This is the second time in a week that Shastri has asked Virat to take a break to prolong his international career.
A few days back, after his maiden golden duck, Shastri said that if anyone needs a break, it is the “overcooked” Kohli.
Run-machine Virat is battling his worst phase in his hugely successful career, failing to score a century in any format for more than three years now.
Kohli was promoted to the top order on Tuesday following back-to-back ducks against Rajasthan Royals, but the move also did not yield the desired result as the former India captain got out for nine. RCB lost the match by 29 runs.
- Shastri stressed on the importance of a break in a player’s career when the calendar is full of assignments one after the other.
“Not only Virat, but I would tell any other player as well. If you want to play and do well for India, you have to draw the line where you want to take that break and the ideal break off season would be when India is not playing and only once India doesn’t play in IPL,” Shastri said.
Kohli, the former India captain across all three formats, had resigned from captaincy roles last year. He has not scored a century in any format since November 2019.
(Inputs from PTI)