"You can't have him playing cricket all the time and expect him to deliver like that" - Kumar Sangakkara on Virat Kohli's lean run
Kumar Sangakkara feels Virat Kohli's workload needs to be managed for him to be at the top of his game whenever he plays for India.
Kohli has been rested for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, starting at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3. The Indian batting mainstay will be back in the mix for the three ODIs to be played against the same opponents a week later.
During an interaction on Sports Tak, Sangakkara was asked if he has seen any changes in Virat Kohli's cricket in the last few years as he doesn't seem to be a threatening proposition to the bowlers anymore, to which he replied:
"I think it's a question of really having a good honest conversation with Virat and asking him how he manages his workload and his time so that every time he plays for India, he is fresh, he is happy, he is hungry and he wants to go out there and win games. You can't have him playing cricket all the time and expect him to deliver like that."
The former Sri Lankan skipper pointed out that the enormous pressure on Kohli every time he plays is expected to weigh him down, explaining:
"No one plays as much cricket as Virat Kohli. It doesn't matter how good you are or how fit you are and he is both, he is actually unbelievably talented and skilled and he is unbelievably fit, but the fatigue and the pressure, and the expectations to constantly churn out and be the entire lifeblood of that side takes a toll."
Sangakkara highlighted that the benefits of the break ahead of the Asia Cup were evident in Kohli's exploits at the T20 World Cup, elaborating:
"Sometimes you stop enjoying that, so you need a breather, you need to refresh and come back and that's where you find Virat coming back hungrier and performing. His batting at the T20 World Cup was phenomenal, especially in that game against Pakistan."
Ramiz Raja said - "Virat Kohli played an outstanding Knock against Pakistan in this T20 World Cup. It was a World class innings. He played some very tough shots despite the pressure".
Kohli was the highest run-getter at the T20 World Cup, with his 296 runs coming at an outstanding average of 98.67 and an impressive strike rate of 136.40. His unbeaten 82-run knock against Pakistan won India the game from a precarious position.
"I don't think he has lost any of his class or his edge" - Kumar Sangakkara on Virat Kohli
Sangakkara believes Virat Kohli still retains his mojo, saying:
"I don't think he has lost any of his class or his edge. He is a phenomenal player and he will continue to be phenomenal. I think he has so much more to offer to India as yet. I don't think he has anything to prove and like any player, whether you are a great player or a good player, you go through peaks and throughs."
The Rajasthan Royals head coach expects Kohli to counter any plans the bowlers might have for him, observing:
"The best players have those peaks much more consistently over a much longer period of time than anyone else. Virat Kohli has done that. You get dips, you get bowlers coming up with new plans, then the pressure is back on Virat to adapt and change his game, to understand what's coming at him and what he needs to do to stay ahead and I think he is going to do it."
Once Upon A Time Virat Kohli https://t.co/CvC0NG8uUM
Kohli scored his maiden T20I hundred in the Asia Cup game against Afghanistan and ended his ODI century drought in the final game of the recent series against Bangladesh.
However, his underwhelming form in Test cricket is the biggest concern. He will hope to be at his best in the four-match series against Australia, considering its importance in India's quest to qualify for the World Test Championship final.