Virat Kohli, on the eve of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s opening match against Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, said he won’t mind to skip some matches to stay fit for the ICC World Cup 2019, starting on May 30 in the UK.
“Yes.. that’s a big possibility. Why not?,” Virat Kohli said when asked if he could sit out a match or two to avoid burnout. Three-time IPL runners-up RCB will take on defending champions CSK in the season opener in Chennai on Saturday.
“It’s a personal responsibility. It is up to the players to give information on any niggle to the concerned people as soon as possible and work as per plan,” the RCB skipper said.
“We have told the players to be smart about how they feel on a particular day and then reporting to the physios. If he’s told not to play, then he has to respect that,” he added.
With the IPL culminating days before the World Cup, there has been a lot of talk about managing the workload of the players during the next two months.
“At the end of the day, I am very motivated to start personally.. I don’t know how competitive or how relaxed Indian players are going to be during the IPL. Every professional knows how to maintain a balance. Eventually you are playing for a franchise and they have trusted you to do a job for them.
“Till the time you play, you have to give 120 per cent. When you don’t play, you don’t. I don’t believe in playing 75-80 per cent. That’s the mindset I carry. I am sure the guys are going to be smart about it. They are going to choose wisely through the tournament. It is not forced on them. They said we are going to be careful,” he added.
