3 Indian Players Who Never Took A Break In IPL But Always Prefer A Break In International Cricket

With the T20 World Cup coming up, most of the senior Indian players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma made a comeback to the national team. Both the players have been playing continuous cricket since the IPL and took a break in the series against Ireland, West Indies and Zimbabwe where India fielded almost their B side. The players opting to rest became the talk of the town when they pulled out of the series against Ireland, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

While many wanted Kohli to take a break from international cricket, they were not happy with Rohit’s decision to rest especially since he is the Indian captain across formats. Former Indian cricketers and experts had actually a lot to say regarding this move from Rohit.

Kohli and Rohit played the rescheduled Test match against England and also the ODI and T20I series. That was the last series before the Asia Cup that Kohli and Rohit played together. The break worked in favour of Kohli as he came back and scored his 71st international century after 1020 days. For Rohit, the break did not work so well as he has not found his rhythm going as well as he would have liked.

With the senior players opting to rest, the debate of players choosing IPL over international cricket came into prominence once again. It is these superstars who played the full IPL for their particular franchise but opted to rest when it came to playing international cricket. In this article, we take a look at three Indian players who never took a break in the IPL but did so in international cricket.

3 Indian Players Who Never Took A Break In IPL But International Cricket

Virat Kohli

After his comeback in the Asia Cup, Virat Kohli spoke about how crucial this break was for him. That the break worked for him was evident from the fact that he is the highest scorer for India in this Asia Cup with 275 runs from five matches including his maiden T20I hundred.

“I am feeling light for sure. It wasn’t just about the workload of cricket, there were other things that were happening as well which contributed to me going into that space. I learnt a lot in this time. I was looking at things from one lens, you play with passion, you play with a lot of heart, but the perception outside might not be the same and people might not understand the value of that as well,” Kohli said.

After playing the England series, Kohli skipped the series against Ireland, West Indies and Zimbabwe before making a comeback in the Asia Cup. He will play in the upcoming T20I series against South Africa and Australia and look to build on the form that he has found in the Asia Cup.

Also Read: IND vs SA: India Squad For South Africa T20Is (Predicted)

Rohit Sharma

Being the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma also took frequent breaks from international cricket in the last two years. Like Kohli, he played the entire series against England and then skipped the series against West Indies, and Zimbabwe before making a comeback to the Asia Cup.

Before he was named India’s full-time captain, Rohit skipped the Test series against South Africa and also the ODI series played in South Africa between December 2021-January 2022. The Indian skipper also skipped the T20I series against South Africa played earlier this year in June. As it turned out, the series ended 2-2 with the final in Bengaluru rained out. having made a comeback in the Asia Cup, Rohit is expected to lead India in the home series against South Africa and Australia building up to the T20 World Cup.

Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah has been out of action since July 2022 with a back injury. He was also not a part of India’s Asia Cup squad. Bumrah is believed to have completed his rehab along with Harshal Patel and is set to make a comeback in the T20 World Cup. India’s squad for T20 World Cup is likely to be announced on September 15.

“Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel were not available for selection owing to injuries. They are currently undergoing rehab at the NCA in Bengaluru,” the BCCI had stated while they announced India’s squad for the Asia Cup.

The fitness of both Bumrah and Harshal will be monitored in the upcoming T20I series at home against South Africa and Australia as per reports in Cricbuzz.

Also Read: IND vs SA: 3 Indian Players Who Might Be Dropped From India Squad for South Africa T20Is