Virat Kohli reveals the reason why he opted for rest ahead of South Africa series

It is not an everyday sight to see an Indian team take the field without their star player Virat Kohli. But this will be the scene for the next couple of weeks when India takes on Sri Lanka in the ODI and the T20I series. The men in blue will host the islanders for 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is. The selectors opted to give Virat Kohli the much needed rest from both the fixtures.

Interestingly, Kohli is one of those players who rarely takes a day off from his national duties. After the conclusion of the Test series, which ended in India winning 1-0, Kohli was asked by Sanjay Manjrekar about how it would feel to see the Indian team play without him in the days to come. Virat was quick in chirping back that his body demanded rest big time.

Heavy toll on the body

He had been in action for the last 48 months at a stretch. Hence, it was high time that he took some rest before the Indian team leaves for the big South African tour. As per the quotes in IBTimes, Kohli admitted that playing too much cricket has taken a toll on his body.

This is not the first time that Kohli has spoken about the cramped Indian team schedule. He had earlier voiced his opinions about the same citing that the national team is hardly getting any rest. This year, the team has been playing non stop cricket since the IPL.

“Last time I took rest it was very difficult for me to handle (watching the boys play). My body is wanting it (rest) right now, to be very honest. It has been a long, long season. For the last 48 months I have hardly taken rest. And I have played every game. The workload has been massive. I can’t play with low energy. My body has taken a toll in the last couple of years. Right now is the perfect time to rest before the big series against South Africa,” quoted Virat Kohli.