Virat Kohli reacts to suggestions of him taking a break: 'There is one person precisely who has mentioned it'
For the first time since suggestions of him taking a break began doing the rounds, Virat Kohli has finally opened up on whether he would consider taking time off.
With Virat Kohli battling indifferent batting form in IPL 2022, there have been suggestions from several legends that the former India captain should take a break to come out of slump. From Mohammad Azharuddin to Kevin Pietersen, quite a few former cricketers feel that a break at his stage of a career can do Kohli a world of good. On the other hand, India great Sunil Gavaskar is entirely against the idea, as he feels the more Kohli plays, the better are his chances of getting back to scoring runs. (Also Read: Virat Kohli teases Rashid Khan by copying his 'snake shot', says 'Ye bhaisaab alag hi khelte hain')
But amid all this, what is Kohli's stance on it? For the first time since these suggestions began doing the rounds, India's superstar batter has finally opened up on whether he would consider taking time off.
"It's not a lot of people who mentioned it (taking a break)," Kohli told Star Sports in an interview. "There is one person precisely who has mentioned it which is Ravi bhai and that's because he has seen from close quarters over the last six-seven years the reality of the situation that I have been in. The amount of cricket that I have played and the ups and downs and the toll that it takes on you to play three formats of the game plus the IPL for 10-11 years non-stop with the seven years of captaincy in between..."
Last month, Shastri, in his conventional and straight-forward manner, had mentioned that Kohli is 'overcooked' and that he needs a break in order to prolong his international career. "I am going straight to the main guy here. Virat Kohli is overcooked. If anyone needs a break, it's him. Whether it's 2 months or a month-and-a-half, whether it's after England or before England," Shastri had said on Star Sports.
Kohli said that he is open to the idea. Not too long ago, England all-rounder Ben Stokes had taken a break due to 'mental health issues', something that Kohli himself had repeatedly stressed on time and again. Kohli pointed out that there is nothing wrong in taking a break given the mental and physical toll the demands of modern-day cricket can have on a player, but if that decision is to be taken, he will take in after discussing it with certain individuals.
"It is definitely a thing that one needs to consider because you don't want to do something which you are not a part of 100 percent and I have always believed in that in my life. So to take a break and when to take a break is obviously something that I need to take a call on, but it is only a healthy decision for anyone to take some time off and just rejuvenate yourself mentally and physically. Not so much physically because physical fitness you keep up with through the course of playing cricket all the time, but it is a mental kind of reset that you need, and you want to be excited for what you are doing. You don't want to feel like you have been forcing yourself into any situation," Kohli said.
"So, I don't think there is anything wrong in that. It's a very healthy thing to think of especially with the amount of cricket that we play nowadays and the amount of cricket that I have played in the last 10-11 years as I mentioned. It's only a thing of creating a balance and finding that balance which is right for you as an individual moving forward and I'll definitely discuss this with all the people involved - Rahul bhai, the Indian team management, everyone to chart out whatever is best for myself and for the team definitely."
