Sandeep Patil critical of Virat Kohli skipping Asia Cup 2018

This is happening for the second time this year. In June, Indian captain Virat Kohli faced flak for skipping a Test against Afghanistan and now three months later, he has come under criticism for not playing in Asia Cup despite the presence of strong teams like Pakistan in it. Former Indian batsman, coach and selector Sandeep Patil was particularly brutal in his criticism.

While Kohli was rested for the upcoming six-nation tournament in the UAE in the wake of the gruelling series in England and keeping in mind the packed international schedule that India have later this year. Patil felt it was not only unfair for the fans not to see the regular skipper playing in the high-profile tournament but also for the team which will miss the service of a key player.

India will play Pakistan in the group stage on September 19 and are highly likely to face in the Super Four stage on September 23. They might also end up playing in the final and the prospects of three high-voltage clashes with the arch-rivals could make Kohli’s absence look even more prominent.

Patil in his column for The Quint wrote: “Lately, after the introduction of T-20 cricket, many of our own players have been seen opting out of national duty to make themselves available and fit for the cash-rich IPL.”

Patil can’t understand why Kohli is made to skip Asia cup which has Pakistan ties

“I do agree that players’ workload should be taken into account but when it comes to India-Pakistan matches – in which the cricket-loving people of India get so emotionally and sentimentally involved – it makes it difficult to understand why such a decision was made.”

Patil cited the case of India’s legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev saying he also carried a lot of workload but never finished the work till he retired. “Has cricket changed so much that today’s Indian players who are so fit and focused can’t take the workload?” Patil asked.

India and Pakistan have played in 129 ODI games till today with Pakistan winning 73 of them and India 52. Four matches remained inconclusive.

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