'Players get mentally tired if they play back-to-back' - Shikhar Dhawan justifies resting senior players

Amid all the criticism that senior India players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been receiving for their continual rest from cricket, their teammate Shikhar Dhawan reasoned that a player would be mentally fatigued if he plays back to back games. The left-hand batter added that a player has to be fresh to give his peak performance.

Dhawan said that there is a rotation in international cricket so that players get rest, adding that players would be tired if they travel everywhere. He believes that players at a top level understand and plan accordingly to keep a balance between game time and rest.

“A player has to get fresh to give peak performance. If a player plays back-to-back, he will get mentally tired,” Dhawan told India Today. “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.”

If there is a senior player, Deepak Hooda has to wait: Shikhar Dhawan

“At the end of the day, a cricketer is a human. I feel people at top level understand and accordingly plan to keep a nice balance,” added the 36-year-old. After the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in May, both Rohit and Kohli missed the home T20I series against South Africa, and away series against Ireland and away ODI series against West Indies. Kohli also missed the T20I series against the Windies, and will also miss three ODIs against Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, Deepak Hooda, who is on a hot streak of form in the T20Is made way for Kohli into the team in England. Speaking on the issue, Dhawan opined that leaving out Hooda was justified because it was a senior player he was making his way for. The 36-year-old further explained that the senior player has done well for 10 years, which is why it is normal.

“Be it Deepak or someone else, it’s quite normal. If the communication is good, then there is no problem,” expressed Dhawan. “I’m sure they must have got reasoning. There is a process, every captain and coach has a different process. So, whatever their process is they will go accordingly. I’m sure they are creating a healthy environment out there.”