Since his drop in form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, many critics and fans stated that Virat Kohli should be rested from the game of cricket. He continued to play and fans saw him back into his element when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) faced Gujarat Titans (GT) and he ended his run-drought in style, slamming a dominant 73 off 54 deliveries.
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However, with the talks of him taking a break did circle around, Kohli has finally opened up about his views on the suggestions and spoken about the same. The batter said that he would consider taking a break after he has had a conversation with national head coach Rahul Dravid and the team management.
He also said that former head coach Ravi Shastri, who had suggested Kohli should take a break as he is ‘overcooked’, has watched his game closely and would give a thought to his suggestions.
“It’s not a lot of people who mentioned it (taking a break). There is one person precisely who has mentioned it which is Ravi Bhai and that’s because he has seen from close quarters over the last six seven years the reality of the situation that I have been in. The amount of cricket that I have played and the ups and downs and the toll that it takes on you to play three formats of the game plus the IPL for 10-11 years non-stop with the seven years of captaincy in between…” Kohli told IPL official broadcasters Star Sports.
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“It is definitely a thing that one needs to consider because you don’t want to do something which you are not a part of 100 percent and I have always believed in that in my life. So to take a break and when to take a break is obviously something that I need to take a call on, but it is only a healthy decision for anyone to take some time off and just rejuvenate yourself mentally and physically,” he continued.
Not just that, Kohli also spoke about about the importance of mental health and mental fitness for a sportsperson.
“Not so much physically because physical fitness you keep up with through the course of playing cricket all the time, but it is a mental kind of reset that you need, and you want to be excited for what you are doing. You don’t want to feel like you have been forcing yourself into any situation,” he added.
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So is taking a break from the game a crime? According to Kohli there is nothing wrong in taking a break as it could help a player rejuvenate.
“It’s only a thing of creating a balance and finding that balance which is right for you as an individual moving forward and I’ll definitely discuss this with all the people involved – Rahul bhai, the Indian team management, everyone to chart out whatever is best for myself and for the team definitely,” he concluded.
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