IND vs PAK: 'If Indian Players Needs To Be Rested In IPL, So Be It'- Ravi Shastri Wants BCCI To Look After Player Injuries

Should India’s top cricketers be allowed the option of “resting” in the IPL? A discussion has erupted following injuries to India’s two main pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar, which would prevent them from competing in the forthcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.

Injuries to Chahar’s hamstring and Bumrah’s back forced them to miss the IPL and the World Cup, respectively. Former India all-rounder, coach, and pundit, Ravi Shastri, has stated that Roger Binny, who won the 1983 World Cup with them, would take over as the new BCCI president, has to look at the issue of resting a star player for a few IPL games. 

Players Extremely Important For India First And Franchise Later: Ravi Shastri

“With the volume of cricket that exists today, it’s extremely important that you get the balance right of how much a player plays. When should he be rested? And there, a (BCCI) president can play a big role.

Tomorrow, if a cricketer, for the sake of playing for India, needs to be rested in the IPL for a certain number of games, so be it.

Where, a (BCCI) president has to sit with the franchise and explain that he’s extremely important for India first, and then the franchise,” Shastri emphasised this point in his conversation with seasoned journalist Ayaz Memon at a Wednesday “Meet-the-media session” at the Mumbai Press Club. 

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“Discussions can take place with the team management, as to which are the players who need rest, who, if they carry on in this fashion, will be spent forces.

And then take that forward to the franchise. In no way getting in the way of the franchise, but in a nice way telling them that he’s an important player for India. National interest is paramount,” Shastri outlined.  

Losing Players Most Frustrating Thing: Ravi Shastri

He also highlighted his concern over the repeated breakdowns of India’s top pacers, despite their extensive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy. 

“It was the most frustrating thing for me as (India coach), when you lose key players to injuries. We toured England and New Zealand twice. On all those tours, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was injured, where he’d have got a bagful of wickets with his skills.

Now, you see Chahar has hardly played, and he’s injured. I was looking at the stats, Bumrah has played 5 matches since the last T20 World Cup and he’s injured. So, you’ve got to look at it very seriously, as to why it is happening,” Shastri said.