Saurashtra head coach and former India cricketer Karsan Ghavri has slammed the management for giving more than enough rest to senior players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The decision to rest Virat for almost every series since the IPL has raised many eyebrows. The latest to opine on this is Karsan Ghavri.
The 71-year-old questioned players’ priorities as they shoot for advertisements when on national duty. He said the players must engage with media commitments only during the IPL and should make playing for India their number 1 priority.
Speaking with Sportskeeda, he said, “How much rest do Virat and Rohit need? How long did Virat bat in the Test match? Playing for India should be their number one priority. You should shoot for advertisements during the IPL, not while playing for India. You cannot ask for frequent breaks in the name of workload management.”
Ghavri is further known to drop truth bombs. Before the 5th Test between England and India, he was one of the few to openly oppose the decision to appoint Jasprit Bumrah as the captain.
And in his latest interview, he made a few blunt statements for Virat Kohli. He said he doesn’t understand the debate around Kohli, who is going through a dull patch. He added that India must drop him if he is not in form, it is as simple as that.
He said, “Players should be selected on merit. Virat has made India proud on many occasions, but drop him if he’s not in form. It’s as simple as that.”
He concluded by saying, “Bring in the guys who are in form. Virat Kohli is a big name, but where are the runs? How long can you play based on your past reputation? He’s still stuck on 27 Test centuries. Meanwhile, Joe Root has now surpassed him despite lagging behind until recently.”