Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has reckoned that India should have played Virat Kohli in every international match possible instead of giving him rest as more game time would have helped the run-machine in getting his form back.
Notably, Kohli has failed to score a ton since November 2019. The former skipper also struggled for runs during this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and even failed to contribute much with the bat during the recently-concluded tour of England.
Now, Kohli, 33, has been given rest for India’s ongoing tour of West Indies and the upcoming ODI series against Zimbabwe.
“I think they should have played Virat Kohli in every International match possible, whatever the format because Virat has had his breaks. People are advocating that he should take some breaks and he’s had his breaks. If you look at the last two years, he’s not played a lot of International cricket. Maybe there’s some logic there that we don’t know about. Maybe they had a chat with Virat Kohli, but my personal view is the more Virat Kohli would’ve played and especially these matches would’ve been better for him,” said Manjrekar on SPORTS18’s show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar clearly has said like it is with a lot of players when you’re going through a rut, the best way to come out of the rut is by playing. So hopefully that will happen soon,” he added.
Moreover, Manjrekar also gave an example of pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has bounced back superbly and getting better with each game.
“Bhuvneshwar recently gave an interview, and he is at his peak at the moment. Eighteen months back, we thought he may not have an international career. But, he has bounced back superbly and is a certainty to make the T20 world cup squad. And he said, the more I bowl, the more I get my rhythm,” Manjrekar expressed.