Kohli wants Indian pacers to skip IPL and rest for the World Cup
Indian skipper and star player Virat Kohli wants the Indian pacers to take a break from the IPL 2019, in order to keep them fit and fresh for the ICC World Cup 2019, which begins about two weeks after the completion of the T20 tournament.
According to reports emerging from the Indian Express, captain Virat Kohli put the request forward in a meeting which was attended by the Committee of Administrators (CoA), coach Ravi Shastri, chief selector MSK Prasad, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
Apparently, he wants the pacers to be "fresh and fit", sources in BCCI told the Indian Express.
Although no decision has been taken on the suggestions, the Indian pacers will have an option of choosing to play in either the first half or the second half of the IPL tournament if the request is approved. Kohli's suggestions included compensating the pacers for their loss in earnings.
The CEO of IPL, Hemang Amin, has advised the CoA to negotiate with the respective IPL franchise owners before taking the final call, before the transfer window closes on November 15.
The IPL is scheduled to commence in the first week of April and the finals will be played in the third week of May. The World Cup tournament will be conducted in 2019 in England from May 30 to July 14.
On the other hand, England and Australia are likely to restrict their players from playing in the IPL from May onwards. The remaining teams have not made an official decision on this topic yet. It's clear that the teams want to keep their players fresh and fit before the all-important World Cup tournament.
Currently, India have tried several pacers in limited-overs cricket to find their backup seamers for the World Cup. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are sure to handle the pace attack, however, in English conditions, India may also choose to go with an extra pacer if the pitches favor pace bowling.
Recently, India have provided young left-arm pacer, Khaleel Ahmed, some opportunities to prove himself and he hasn't disappointed the captain and the team management.