India skipper Virat Kohli had a memorable outing in the England tour as might have had a splendid tour of England, but he was later rested for the Asia Cup which India won by defeating Bangladesh in the final. On Tuesday, the Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri revealed why Kohli was rested from the multi-nation tournament.

As per the reports in Gulf News, Shastri said, “Virat needed this rest. Physically he is a bull. You can’t give him out of the ground. 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 and then come back fresh. And we will have to do it with a lot of other players. You know like Bumah (Jasprit Bumrah), Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), we have to sustain them and keep them energetic.”

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Kohli will now be leading the Indian team for the upcoming two-match Test series against the Windies which is scheduled to commence on October 4 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. However, the Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan seems to be rested for the Windies series as he has been playing continuous cricket since July. Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal have been included in the squad while fast bowlers Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar have been rested.

Murali Vijay, who was dropped for the final two Tests in England, was once again ignored while Dinesh Karthik and Karun Nair — both of whom were in the India squad for the Test series in England have also been ignored. Karthik’s exclusion clearly gives a golden opportunity for Rishabh Pant as a wicketkeeper to prove his worth in the India squad. Pant, who played the final three Tests in England, had impressed with the bat, scoring his maiden Test century in the final Test against England.

Hanuma Vihari, who also impressed on debut in the final Test at The Oval, London, also found a place in India’s 15-man squad.