India are doing a lot of experimentation with their playing XI and sides in almost every series. One of the reasons behind so many changes is to give the proper rest to the seniors and also to give sufficient game time to the youngsters. That is why we see the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and a few more players taking breaks from some series.
However, the Indian cricket schedule is arguably the busiest as compared to other teams. But it has also become a topic of discussion among many. Both Virat and Rohit are the backbone of the Indian batting and this year, both these batters are taking consistent breaks. However, the veteran Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan, has come up in support of these two Indian stalwarts taking a sufficient break.
However, both these players are missing the games despite their inconsistency with the bat in 2022. They missed the home series against South Africa, then Virat Kohli took a complete break from the West Indies and Zimbabwe tours. On the other hand, Rohit got a break in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies. Shikhard Dhawan led the Indian side in his absence.
In a discussion with India Today, Dhawan backs both Virat and Rohit over taking the break. Back-to-back matches, he claims, will cause “mental tiredness” in a cricketer. He also said that a player needs a sufficient break to give his best performance.
Dhawan said, “If a player plays back-to-back, he will get mentally tired. It is important to give rest mentally. If you see there is rotation in international cricket so that players get rest. If a player travels everywhere, he will get tired. At the end of the day, a cricketer is a human. I feel people at the top level understand and accordingly plan to keep a nice balance.”
Notably, fans might see all their senior players in the Asia Cup 2022. India will face their first match against arch-rival Pakistan on Sunday, August 8 at the Dubai International Stadium. India are the defending champions and will look to win their third back-to-back title.
