Internet Desk: Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri thinks that the team’s ace spinners Ravichandra Ashwin should be given a much-needed rest as them wants them fully fit for the overseas tour in South Africa, England and Australia during 2018.
In last two years time Jadeja and Ashwin both played 20 and 27 Test matches respectively. Both the players have almost played every Test match for India. Ashwin is currently playing county cricket in England which will give him a lot of experience ahead of facing England in 2018. Emphasising on burnout and injuries, Shastri told India Today, “You have a heck of a lot of cricket being played. You have about 25 Test matches being played in the next two years and a similar amount of One-Day games and T20I games. If you look at No.1 and 2 bowlers in the world it is Ashwin and Jadeja. If you start playing them across all formats, there will be a burnout. The World Cup is still two years away – there’s enough time to get back.”
“You have to preserve them for what you are looking for. The emphasis should be on Test match cricket as far as they are concerned. They can play across all three formats. How much you want to use a player – is a decision that has to be taken by the team management,” Shastri added.
Shastri also heaped praise on the evolvement of Virat Kohli as a captain, “I think he has evolved magnificently, as a player you can see it in his performances. As a captain you can see the way he handles the media, the way he speaks to the media. I think there is a long way to go. He is only 28, he should be around for another 5-6 years at least as a skipper. The next three years will really define him, I think already he is right up there, but the next three years will be a great learning curve for him.”