With the conclusion of the One-Day International series between India and Australia, the Indian Premier League will gather all the attention from here on. The IPL will commence from March 23 in Chennai as the defending champions will take on their arch-rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore.
As there will be no international cricket for Indian players, the Indian squad for the co-awaited ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will directly enter in the tournament on the back of IPL. Several former cricketers urged the Indian players to miss the IPL and manage their workload smartly. Apart from it, fast bowlers were said to skip the IPL in order to stay fit for the tournament.
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However, the Indian skipper Virat Kohli came clear about the fitness of Indian players and said the responsibility remains on players to stay fit for the World Cup. “All the workload will be monitored and given a window, the guys can afford to rest. The World Cup comes every four years and we play IPL every year,” said Kohli.
“Not to say we won’t be committed to the IPL but we’ve got to be smart. We have to work in balance and make smart decisions. The responsibility and the onus being on the player. No one will be forced to do something. Eventually, no one wants to miss the World Cup and cost the team good balance,” he said in the post-match press conference.
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Amidst, Kohli mentioned there is no panic in the dressing room after the series defeat against Australia as the players and team management is aware of what the team was trying to achieve in the last games. He also threw light upon the playing XI and team combination of India at the World Cup.
“Hardik Pandya will come back to the team. With him, there’s batting depth, and bowling option opens up. We know where we have to go as a combination. The XI is clear in our head. We just have to take better decisions in pressure situations to go far in the World Cup,” Kohli concluded.
India’s World Cup opener will be against South Africa on June 5 in Southampton.
