Bridging communication gap key as Rohit and Virat find old touch

Even though questions around Rohit and Virat’s futures pop up, their ODI numbers in 2025 highlight their relevance in the team.

- Rasesh Mandani

“I've never been a big believer in a lot of preparation, if that makes sense,” Virat Kohli said while receiving the Player-of-the-Match award on Sunday in Ranchi. With those words, Kohli didn’t leave much unsaid.

How much preparation is good preparation? What is ideal in a cricket calendar which has many formats, where players pick and choose?

There have been ongoing efforts from the national selectors to encourage every contracted player to play domestic cricket in between international tours.

Exceptions are made only for the fast bowlers. Now that Kohli and Rohit Sharma play only in ODI cricket, they are expected to turn up for their state teams in Vijay Hazare 50 overs action, starting December 24 ahead of the January 11-18 ODI series against New Zealand.

The players have not said no, and they will play if they must. But if he had his way, Kohli seemed to be hinting towards a preference for customised practice over match play.

“If you have played 300-odd ODI games and so much cricket over the last 15-16 years, if you're in touch with the game and you know that when you're hitting balls at practice, your reflexes are there, your physical ability is there to bat long, if you can bat an hour and half to two hours in the nets without taking a break, you're kind of meeting all those markers,” he said.