I'll take rest if needed: Virat Kohli

CHENNAI: As the IPL Season 12 preludes the all-important 50-over ICC World Cup, the focus is on workload management of Indian players. The IPL involves a lot of traveling as teams crisscross the country during the two-month period and it could take a lot on players.

India skipper Virat Kohli on Friday hinted that he could sit out for a couple of IPL matches if his body demands rest. “Yes, that’s a big possibility. Why not? Again, it’s a personal responsibility. No one is playing at a level where they need to be bound by any sort of restrictions. But we have told the players to be smart about how they feel on a particular day and then reporting to the physios,” said Kohli.

Kohli expects his India teammates to be smart as well as honest when it comes to fitness. “It will boil down to giving information to the people concerned as soon as possible and then they will figure out a plan for that player. If he’s told not to play, then he has to respect that. As soon as you develop a niggle, the information has to be given and then they have to follow the plan,” he added.

Kohli, however, said the too much focus on workload management will not affect the competitiveness of the IPL. “At the end of the day, I am very motivated to start tomorrow personally. I don’t know how competitive or how relaxed the other Indian players are going to be. Every professional knows how to maintain a balance. Eventually you are playing for a franchisee and they have trusted you to do a job for them. Till the time you play, you have to give 120 per cent. I am sure the guys are going to be smart about it. They are going to choose wisely through the tournament. That’s the feedback from the players. It is not forced on them. They said we are going to be careful and analyse things on the go,” Kohli added.

Going into the IPL opener against three-time champions Chennai Super Kings at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Kohli considers RCB as underdogs. “Every team that comes to Chennai has to be considered underdogs because CSK have done so well at home. MS knows exactly what he wants from his team in these conditions. We all have seen that and are aware of it. We are going to be backing our skills and then find ways to come out on top. It’s very easy to be overawed by the support that CSK are going to get. In the IPL, people can get carried away by the support that a team like CSK get at home but we have to focus on our basics,” he said.