Sydney: The workload of premier fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami is of paramount importance to India captain Virat Kohli. He said it will be closely monitored and managed during the white-ball series against Australia. This will be done to keep them in good shape for the Tests, asserted Virat Kohli.
Monitoring Bumrah, Shami
It is expected that Shami and Bumrah will have to the carry the bulk of burden during the Test series. They will not have an Ishant Sharma to fall back on as he is injured. So both Shami and Bumrah will be rotated during the ODIs and T20 Internationals.
“It’s a no-brainer. They have gone through a full IPL. It will be important to monitor their workload,” Kohli said. “You want to see how people react to different situations. There is a fine balance that you need to maintain, something we have managed to do for the last few years. That is why our bowlers have been fit and available for the important matches most of the times for us. It is an important factor for me as a captain. It is going to be crucial,” Kohli added.
Itching to perform
Kohli has been hugely successful in Australia. He agreed that it can be intimidating to play cricket over here. However, he pointed out a good performance does get the respect it deserves.
“It can be a very intimidating experience if you are not ready mentally and (not have the) skills. In every sport they are very tough, the crowd can be tough on travelling players and rightly so. But if you perform well, you get a lot of respect. As a sportsman I am a big fan of it. The stadiums are amazing, always a nice tour full of challenges,” Kohli pointed out.
Kohli said that youngsters will be tried out during these two series. “Yes, we have definitely discussed those things. There are a lot of young guys in the squad. It is a great opportunity for them to realise something new about their game. It’s a very important series for them. Definitely looking forward to seeing how they shape up,” he said.
Decision to return
Kohli will be on paternity leave after the first Test. He said that he had communicated his decision to the selection committee in advance. He wants to be with wife Anushka for the birth of their first child.
“The decision was made before the selection meeting that I will be flying back after the first Test. It was purely based on the fact that there was a quarantine period both ways,” Kohil stated.
“I wanted to be back in time to be with my wife for the birth of our first child. It is very, very special and a beautiful moment in our lives. That was the reason for my decision that was communicated to the selectors,” he informed.
Livid with ICC
Kohli also questioned the ICC for altering the points system of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC). He asserted that the change is ‘confusing’ and the governing body has a lot to explain.
India slipped to second position in the standings of the ongoing WTC. This happened after the ICC last week decided to rank teams ‘in order of percentage of points earned’ from the contested matches.
Australia (296 points from three series) toppled India (360 points from four series) in the standings after the revision. They have a percentage of 82.22 compared to the India’s 75 per cent.
A livid Kohli said the decision is ‘surprising’ and ‘difficult’ to comprehend.
“It is definitely surprising because we were told that points are a matter of contention for the top two teams qualifying in World Test Championships. Now suddenly it has become percentage out of nowhere, so it is confusing and difficult to understand why,” Kohli said.
“If these things were explained to us from day one then it would have been easier to understand the reason why such a change has happened. But it happened out of nowhere and I think further questions need to be asked to the ICC,” he added.