Ahead of New Zealand Test, Virat Kohli says he’s preparing for ‘rigorous three years’
Synopsis
India captain Virat Kohli spoke about the hectic schedule for the players and the importance of taking breaks. He also said that he is preparing for 'rigorous' three years from now. He spoke to the media ahead of the India-New Zealand first Test in Wellington
Wellington: Ahead of the first Test against New Zealand, India captain Virat Kohli spoke about the hectic cricket schedule for players and the importance of taking regular breaks.
India and New Zealand are set to face off in the first Test in Wellington from Friday (February 21). On Wednesday (February 19), Kohli said it takes toll on players while playing non-stop cricket.
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“I think it’s been eight or nine years that I have been playing almost 300 days a year with the travelling and practice sessions. And the intensity is right up there all the time. So it does take a toll on you. I am not saying it's not something the players are not thinking about,” the Delhi right-hander told reporters.
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He continued, “We do choose to take a lot more breaks individually even though the schedule might not allow you to. You are going to see a lot of that in the future from many players. Not just myself, especially from the guys who are playing all three formats. It's not that easy.”
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The 31-year-old Kohli said he is prepared for “rigorous” three years of cricket from now on. During this period India will play the ICC T20 World Cup this year and ICC World Cup in 2023 at home besides several bilateral series.
“Then being captain and having intensity in practice sessions and discussing the game, so it does take a toll on you. So periodic breaks for me seems to work pretty okay. At a time when the body doesn't respond as well, maybe when I am 34-35, you might have a different conversation at that stage.
“But, for the next two-three years, I have no issues at all. I can keep going on with the same intensity and I also understand that the team wants a lot of my contribution so that we can ease into another transition phase that we faced some five-six years ago. So the mindset is on the larger picture, and from that point, I am preparing myself for a rigorous three years from now.”
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