This is why Virat Kohli missed the Asia Cup 2018
What's the story
Virat Kohli missed out on the Asia Cup 2018. Now, coach Ravi Shastri has spilled out the beans why the management decided to field a squad without the Indian talisman. Everyone thought the rationale was Kohli needed rest after a long tour of the UK. This way he would be recharged ahead of West Indies series. But the real reason was not physical fatigue.
Quote
Mental fatigue and not physical the reason
Shastri said, "Physically he (Kohli) is a bull. And the thing with Virat is if he plays, then you know the level of intensity he brings. So it was a case of just mental fatigue, giving him a break, take your mind off cricket."
Process
Process to be followed by other key members as well
Ravi Shastri also pointed out that similar process will be tried out with other key members of the Indian team. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were left out of the series against West Indies. "And we will have to do it with a lot of other players. You know like Bumrah, Bhuvi, we have to sustain them and keep them energetic", Shastri opined.
Kohli
Kohli will look to go all out against West Indies
Kohli would lead the side against West Indies for the two Tests starting October 4 in Rajkot. The Indian skipper had a productive Test series against England with the bat. India went on to lose 1-4, but now Kohli will look to put that behind him and start afresh. This series is more about addressing key areas ahead of the big tour of Australia.
Data
Kohli tops the chart in 2018
Kohli is the leading run-scorer in Test cricket this year. He tops the billing with 879 runs from 8 Test matches. He has three hundreds and four fifties. All of these have come away from the subcontinent. He averages 54.93 with the bat.