3 times Virat Kohli was criticized for resting in a series
Virat Kohli is one of the senior Indian players to have been rested for the ODI series against the West Indies. It gets underway on July 22, less than a week after the completion of the white-ball leg of the England tour.
This has sparked quite an outrage on social media against rested senior players. They have also been questioned for taking their spot in the Indian team a bit too lightly. The likes of Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma haven't been in the greatest of form of late.
So as per any standard cricketing sense, some game-time in domestic cricket would have certainly helped them. Cheteshwar Pujara used county cricket to get back to form and that strategy helped him in making his Test comeback.
Perhaps that's why fans are unhappy and some cricket experts are a bit perplexed to see these senior players being rested.
Virat Kohli has been on top of his game for more than a decade. He has also been quite vocal about how he may have to deal with the 'burnouts' that happen playing across formats for so long.
On that note, let's look at three occasions when Kohli received a bit of stick for resting or opting out of a series:
#3 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy
Choose your hero wisely-
1. Mohd Siraj who chose to stay back despite losing his father and played for India
2. Virat Kohli- who left tour midway to be with his wife following her delivery. https://t.co/W1jTog6Rvc
India made history in 2018-19 when they won their first-ever Test series in Australia 2-1. But the hosts were then weakened due to bans on star players like David Warner and Steve Smith.
Thus, the next Border Gavaskar Trophy Down Under in 2020-21 was going to be crucial as the Aussies were then back to their full strength. The possibility of reaching the final of the maiden World Test Championship was also on the line.
However, the then-captain Virat Kohli was also soon going to become a father. Such a special personal moment is really difficult for anybody to miss out on. He had requested that the BCCI grant him leave after the pink-ball Test at Adelaide so that he could be with his family to welcome his child.
The cricketing fraternity was split on this decision. While many felt that Virat Kohli had the right to prioritize his family above anything else, there were some who cited the example of fast bowler Mohammad Siraj, who gave his national duty priority over attending the last rites of his late father.
Moreover, India suffered a horrendous defeat in the Adelaide Test as they were castled for just 36 - their lowest-ever Test score. This magnified the debate over Kohli leaving the series when his team probably needed him the most.
Thankfully, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane stepped in as India completed a turnaround for the ages to win the series 2-1.
#2 India vs South Africa T20Is 2022
Unpopular Opinion -
Resting Kohli for T20Is against South Africa doesn't makes sense if you want to be in Indian team then you have to play for India and perform well. Kohli was rested for Srilanka T20Is also.
The last year or so has been quite different for Virat Kohli. He decided to step down from the T20I and Royal Challengers Bangalore captaincy. This led to an infamous saga with the BCCI as he was told to step down from the ODI captaincy too.
Kohli also decided not to continue with the Test captaincy. Many thought that with no added pressure, the modern-day great would come into his own.
However, he had the worst IPL season this year, scoring just 341 runs from 15 games at an average of 22.73 and a modest strike rate of 115.99.
Some felt that the 33-year-old needed a break, while others believed he had to continue playing to get over his poor form. However, he was rested for the T20I series against South Africa.
As the Proteas played with their full strength, many thought the likes of Virat Kohli should have featured in this series.
#1 West Indies vs India ODIs 2022
Rohit & Kohli were rested in the home SA series too.! Don't know whose call is this but this will affect their batting too.!Should've played the series against West Indies.!
Injuries to key players and several other reasons have seen Team India being led by a record six captains so far this year - Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah.
The list is set to expand as veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan has been named as the captain for the ODI series against West Indies. Many trolled the selectors for resting some big names.
The likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who had just been rested for the South Africa T20Is, received a lot of stick from the cricketing fraternity. Many believe resting is probably the least helpful for Kohli to get back into form.
The ODI format is probably ideal for Virat Kohli to get back into form as he can pace his innings well, instead of worrying about lateral movement and get some much-needed game-time. This has made the decision not to include him in the West Indies ODIs even more baffling.