Initiating a direct attack on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over Team India’s limited schedule on Thursday, the Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that poor planning form the Board is slowing down the team’s performance.
In a recent press conference, Kohli was questioned BCCI’s approach in scheduling series which robbed the players of necessary rest and hence impacted their performance. Virat Kohli has expressed his unhappiness over the cramped schedule of the India team which leaves them no time to acclimatize before the tough tour of South Africa.
With the South Africa series just around the corner, there has been opposition over the length of the ongoing Sri Lanka series which does not leave much breathing time before the team departs to face the Proteas.
While emphasizing on the need to assess (the schedule) in future, Kohli admitted it is the reason the India team management specially requested for bouncy tracks for the Sri Lanka series as it was the only option to prepare for South Africa. The Sri Lanka series ends on December 24 and India play their first Test against South Africa on January 5.
“Reflecting on the first Test against Sri Lanka, where a green-turf was prepared to get the player a glimpse of how the situation will be in South Africa. And everyone starts judging players when results come after Test matches. It should be a fair game, where we get to prepare the way we want to and then we are entitled to be criticized,” Kohli added that he saw the series as an opportunity for the players to test themselves.
“Yes (we requested for the pace-friendly wickets), because unfortunately, we get only two days before we fly to South Africa after this series gets over. So we have no choice but be in a game situation and think of what’s coming ahead of us. Had we got a month off ideally, we would have done a proper preparation for a camp sort of scenario. But we have to sort of make do with what we have,” said Kohli on Thursday.
“As usual, cramped for time, which I think we need to assess in future because we very easily assess the team when we go abroad, but we don’t look at how many days we got to prepare before we go to a particular place to play. Everyone starts judging players when results come after Test matches. It should be a fair game, where we get to prepare the way we want to and then we are entitled to be criticized,” he highlighted.
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“I thought this (SL Tests) was an ample opportunity to challenge ourselves and put us in a situation where we want to, as I said, as I embrace (the opportunity of) being in difficult conditions. I am not saying that everyone will go out and perform immediately, but if we can feel comfortable about it after one inning, two innings or three innings, someone will come good and then you build on that confidence. Same for the bowlers as well,” he said.
Earlier, in a press conference in Kolkata, the 29-year-old had explained the importance of rest while speaking against the machine-like treatment cricketers are getting these days. “Definitely I do need rest, why don’t I need rest? When I think of the time my body should be rested, I’ll ask for it. I am not a robot you can slice my skin and check I bleed,” Kohli told.
“This is one thing which I don’t think people explain properly. There is a lot of talk from the outside in terms of workload, whether a player should be rested or should not be rested. All cricketers play 40 games in a year. Three guys who should get rest, their workloads are to be managed. 11 players play the game but not everyone would have batted 45 overs in an ODI game or not everyone would have bowled 30 overs in a Test match,” Kohli assessed.
“For example, the Ashes Test match going on right now doesn’t seem to be the usual Gabba wicket that we see with a lot of pace, bounce and carry. So, it all depends on what you are playing on and then select the team accordingly,” Kohli concluded.