India vs Sri Lanka 2017: Is This Too Much Cricket For Virat Kohli, The Indian Milestone Man?

How much is too much? When it comes to Cricket, the sky is the limit as there goes not even a week when an International fixture has not been played somewhere in the World. But when we go around 15 years backs, there were fewer tournaments but the kind of class that era had is still an untouched feat. Nowadays, in between those hectic schedules that each and every Cricket playing nation follows, especially the likes of India, Australia, and England, it’s the result that matters and rarely we see fans focusing on the quality of cricket being played.

Every now and then, the struggles of keeping up with a hectic schedule gets highlighted and team India has been the one with the most number of such complaints, Virat Kohli being the latest to speak up.

Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, is speaking his mind these days and considering his huge stature as well as aura, we should listen to what he has to say. These days, Kohli has been highlighting the fact that he is not a ‘robot’ and if you cut him, he will bleed.

But it’s important to delve into what forced the Indian Milestone man to choose such words, especially being a man who never speaks in such a manner?

This is the question that everybody is eagerly looking to get an answer for and since the issue has been initiated by Virat Kohli himself, it can’t be ignored.

Just before the India vs Sri Lanka 2017 Nagpur Test, Virat Kohli didn’t shy away from saying that if the team had been given a month’s break before travelling to South Africa, the team would have prepared according to the needs but since they’ll get just two days between the conclusion of the Sri Lankan series and their tour to South Africa, Virat Kohli & Co. had to do with what they have.

The Indian skipper also revealed that all the strips for the India vs Sri Lanka 2017 series were curated keeping in mind the bouncy pitches at offer in South Africa but after watching the proceedings of the second Test, where Cheteshwar Pujara (143), Murali Vijay (128) and Rohit Sharma (102*) all scored a century each and Virat Kohli (213) went on registering his record-breaking fifth double-ton, there was nothing to suggest that Nagpur had anything to offer to the fast bowlers.

Interestingly, it was Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who ended with a leading wicket-taking tally of eight and five wickets, respectively, in both the innings combined.

Well, the said preparations for the South African tour have had a setback if we think practically but all we are focusing on is India winning the second Test by an innings and 239 runs, which is their biggest ever win in Test cricket.

But let’s get practical. Was Sri Lanka ever going to pose a challenge? Well, they could have if it was not for the confusing strategies, giving away singles to India and gradually facing the wrath of huge partnerships.

Now, as the hosts lead the India vs Sri Lanka 2017 3-Match Test series by 1-0, the question again arises, is this the right time to give senior players some rest in order to freshen up for the South African tour?

Well there are reports coming in that since BCCI is going to announce the squad for India vs Sri Lanka ODIs and T20Is which will be played till 24th of December, it is time for the board to rest Virat Kohli after his record-breaking endeavors in Nagpur, leveling Brian Lara’s record of most number of double-tons (5) as a captain.

It is hard to argue that Virat Kohli is in his prime and he will be a match winner for India in South Africa but since he is not a ‘robot’, he needs rest after playing 26 ODIs and 9 Test matches in 2017, which turns out to be roughly 71 days of cricket.

This is a huge number of we compare it to the 60-something matches that a footballer players in a year, including club and International outings, and the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo as well as Lionel Messi too go on a break during least important matches, but for Virat Kohli, if we consider the IPL 2017, it has been a rather cruel schedule for the Indian skipper.

Crazy schedules, mind-boggling travel as well as playing at different venues is far more taxing than we realize and at a time when the fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are now being given a break, there is no harm if Virat Kohli decides to skip a few matches or even a full series.

Freshness has more to do with the mental health, so even against Sri Lanka, Virat Kohli can skip the third Test but the safest option will be to skip the ODI leg and then warm during the three T20Is before traveling to South Africa on 27th December.

This is the best chance for Kohli to recharge his batteries.

The India vs South Africa Test series will mark the beginning of the long away season for Virat Kohli & Co. and will be played from 2nd January to 28th January next year. The three Test matches against the Proteas will be played at Newlands, Cape Town from January 5 to 9, Centurion from January 13 to 17 and The Wanderers, Johannesburg from January 24 to 28.

The Last time India toured South Africa was in 2013/14 where they were beaten by 1-0 in the two-match Test series.

Rohan Jaitly