New Delhi: India cricket team's former skipper Sunil Gavaskar on Sunday opined that Virat Kohli should not take rest for India's matches. The cricketer-turned-commentator has suggested that Virat should take rest during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 to get back in form. Gavaskar's statement comes at a time when several fans and experts have suggested that Virat should skip the remaining IPL in order to take a break from cricket and return to form. Former Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli has been able to score only 216 runs in 11 IPL matches in the ongoing season. Seven times, Virat has been dismissed without even playing 10 balls in IPL 2022.
During RCB's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Virat Kohli got out on the very first ball of Bangalore's innings -- the very first ball of RCB vs SRH IPL 2022 match -- registering a golden duck for the third time this season.
"As long as the break doesn’t mean he is missing India matches. India matches should be No. 1 priority. It’s as simple as that," Gavaskar said while being on-air for Star Sports on Sunday.
"I think the thing is that if you don’t play, how do you get your form back?
"Sitting in the change room, it’s not going to get your form back. The more you play, the more chances you getting your form back."
Notably, team India's former head coach Ravi Shastri had said last month that 'mentally cooked' Kohli should take a break to get refreshed for team India matches.
"You ask all over India, you want everybody in India who follows the game will say ‘we want the form for India’. Right? So you can’t take a break for an India game. You want Kohli to start scoring runs for India. All of us want that," Gavaskar added.
"He hit a half-century against Sri Lanka and then he left out for the T20 matches, I believe. There he got runs and looking good and there was all the more reason that he should have continued playing. But he was not selected or left out, whatever," the legend further said.