IPL 2022: Virat Kohli open to take a break; wants to win Asia Cup and T20 World Cup for India

Kohli has had an underwhelming IPL 2022 campaign with the bat so far.

Virat Kohli | BCCI/IPLVirat Kohli has had an underwhelming IPL 2022 campaign with the bat so far. He has played 14 innings for RCB this season, amassing just 309 runs at an average of 23.77 and a strike-rate of 117.93 with only two half-centuries.

Amid his poor showing, there have been debates among the fans and pundits on whether the veteran batter should take a break from the game to rejuvenate himself.

The idea was first floated by former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who feels Kohli is mentally “overcooked” and badly needs a break from cricket.

See Also: Anushka Sharma reacts to Virat Kohli's match-winning 73 against GT

While some cricket experts have opposed Shastri’s suggestion, Virat Kohli himself has agreed that a break is a "healthy" option for him.

"It's not a lot of people who mentioned it (taking a break)," Kohli told Star Sports in an interview. "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..."

The former India skipper is open to the idea of taking a break and will discuss it with the team management, including head coach Rahul Dravid.

"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% 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. 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.

"So I don't think there is anything wrong in that. It's a very healthy thing to think of especially with the amount of cricket that we play nowadays and the amount of cricket that I have played in the last 10-11 years as I mentioned. 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."

During the chat, Virat Kohli also expressed his keenness to help India win the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup later this year.

"I want to win India the Asia Cup and the [T20] World Cup; that's the motivation," he said. "I have to move forward maintaining a balance, get some rest, some rejuvenation, once I'm in the mindset then there's no looking back and [it's] great fun. My main aim is to help India win the Asia Cup and the World Cup and for that I am ready to do anything for the team."

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 20 May, 2022

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