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'No one asked if we wanted to rest. You either got selected or dropped': Ex-India pacer's blunt take on Kohli's absence
Virat Kohli's wretched run has even led to former players including Kapil Dev questioning his place in the Twenty20 set-up.
Virat Kohli's absence triggered a huge debate as India on Thursday named an 18-member contingent for the Twenty20 games in West Indies. The star batter has witnessed a major batting slump but it was unclear if he was dropped or rested over injury concerns. His truancy comes at a time when India are finding the perfect combination in the lead-up to this year's World T20 in Australia. India vs England 2nd ODI Live Score
Kohli's wretched run has even led to former players including Kapil Dev questioning his place in the Twenty20 set-up. The legendary all-rounder argued that if a player of Ravichandran Ashwin's calibre can be dropped from the Test side, Kohli can also face the ouster.
While Ashwin joins the Twenty20 squad for the West Indies assignment, there are question marks over Kohli missing the series. Former India RP Singh has also questioned the move, saying there was no such concept as rest during his playing days.
"When a player is going through a bad patch, he won't ask for rest. He should play more games as taking rest won't help him return to form. The graph has gone down and will be up again only when you play regular matches. The luxury of taking rest isn't available for every player. When Pragyan (Ojha) and I were a part of the Indian team, there was no such thing as rest. No one asked if we wanted to rest... you either got selected or dropped," he told Cricbuzz.
"Even senior players didn't take rest before the T20 World Cup 2007 and that was because the format was new. A cricketer's playing days are limited and he eventually has to retire. Only if Virat has a niggle, then it's a right decision."
Earlier, legendary Sunil Gavaskar also questioned India seniors for skipping international series but playing the IPL without taking a break. "See, I do not agree with this concept of players resting. Not at all. 'You don't take rest during IPL, then why ask for it while playing for India? I don't agree with it. You will have to play for India. Don't talk about rest," Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
"There are only 20 overs in an innings in T20. That does not take any toll on your body. In Test matches, the mind and the body take a toll, I get that. But I don't think there is much problem in T20 cricket," he added.
Shikhar Dhawan has been named captain for the three ODIs against the West Indies in the absence of regular skipper Rohit. The Indian team will then play five T20Is in the Caribbean and the United States.
