Why Kohli is rested for Asia Cup: Chief selector MSK Prasad discloses the reason behind the captain given rest.
The highlight of the squad announced for the upcoming Asia Cup remained the rest given to captain Virat Kohli. India will enter the field in a bid to defend the title with star opener Rohit Sharma as captain and his opening partner, Shikhar Dhawan, announced as his deputy.
Another major announcement was the axe given to senior all-rounder Suresh Raina, the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Ambati Rayudu and the maiden call-up given to Rajasthan’s 20-year old left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed.
The rest given to Kohli was somewhere on the expected lines given his packed schedule throughout the year. Speaking on the matter, chief selector MSK Prasad was quoted, “Considering the workload, we have given Virat Kohli rest. He has been
playing continuously for quite some time.
“I’ve been to England for the third Test match, we sat for a discussion regarding workload management, so we need preserve some players who are playing all three formats. Looking at that workload, we have started with Virat. Other all-format players will also be rested in due course.”
Renowned TV journalist Vikrant Gupta retweeted a post on Twitter which said that the rest given to Kohli might be because of a back injury, something which has disturbed him (Kohli) in the recent past. Read the full tweet:
– Bad back, the reason to rest Kohli for the Asia Cup.
My good friend @vikrantgupta73 updates on the big decision ..— Asif Khan (@mak_asif) September 1, 2018
Prasad was also vocal about India’s preparation for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2018. “Two to three slots we are yet to finalise, so for those slots we are trying and we’ll look at these 24 matches [for the World Cup]. You’ll come to know the slots more specifically as we go ahead … Among those, one of those seamers’ slots is open. We are looking at a left-arm option in Khaleel”, he added.
