There's too much cricket: Ravi Shastri feels big stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli might give up 1 format
Former coach Ravi Shastri feels that big players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would be forced to give up one format of the game as there was too much cricket at the time. Shastri feels that the emphasis should be given to the format that is important in that year.
In Short
- The scheduling of cricket has come under the scanner after Stokes' ODI retirement
- Shastri feels Kohli and Rohit will be forced to give up one format
- Shastri said that it would be important to focus on the format that would need emphasis that year
Former India coach Ravi Shastri feels that big players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be forced to give up one format of the game as there is too much cricket.
The scheduling of games has come to the spotlight after Ben Stokes' retirement from ODI cricket. Stokes had cited an unsustainable schedule as the reason for his retirement from the 50-overs format.
There has been talk about Rohit and Kohli continuing to be all-format players and Shastri feels they will be forced to drop one of the forms of the game.
Speaking to Sports Today, the former India coach feels that would be the case not just with the Indian duo but with a lot of players in the coming years as there is too much cricket.
Shastri pointed out how, during his time as coach, India played in two different places in two different formats. The former coach said that it would be important to focus on the format that would need emphasis that year.
"I think not just with Virat and Rohit. It will be the case with a lot of players. There's too much cricket. The volume of cricket is so much. For all you know, India might be playing a Test series somewhere, but a T20 tournament might be going on somewhere else with an Indian team. Many times when I was a coach, we were in one country, India was in another country playing Sri Lanka or someone proper. So it is going to happen. You will have to see what is important that year, and accordingly, get the players primarily focused in playing those games."
"So, if there is a World Cup coming of 50-over cricket coming, emphasis must be on 50-over cricket. If the emphasis on T20s, then decide who your nucleus of 15-18 players are," said Shastri.