I too need rest, I am not a robot: Kohli

Batting for long in a manner that often seemed unreal, India skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday said he too needs rest from the gruelling international schedule since he is “not a robot”.

Kohli has played seven Tests, 26 ODIs and 10 T20 internationals in 2017, the most by any player in the Indian team.

“Definitely I do need a rest, why don’t I. When I think of the time my body should be rested I will ask for it, why not. I’m not a robot, you can slice my skin and check if I still bleed,” Kohli told reporters on the eve of the first Test against Sri Lanka.

The India skipper also played 10 matches at the Indian Premier League’s 10th season, and had warned about burnout. “This is one thing I don’t think people explain properly. There’s a lot of talk from outside in terms of workload whether a player should be rested or not.”

Virat’s supreme athleticism on the field has rubbed onto other players in the side and they vouched for it.

“I don’t think people look at the times spent on the crease, the number of runs, the number of overs, the conditions etc. I don’t think people will go into that analysis. Everyone plays the same number of games. Sri Lanka

Player Wickets taken RANGANA HERATH

Sri Lanka

R. ASHWIN

India India

India Sri Lanka India Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka India % of wickets Openers Top 4 Top 6

KOLKATA: RAVINDRA JADEJA DILRUWAN PERERA UMESH YADAV LAHIRU KUMARA SURANGA LAKMAL NUWAN PRADEEP LAKSHAN SANDAKAN MOHAMMED SHAMI