Ravi Shastri: Virat Kohli needs rest, he is not a machine

India head coach Ravi Shastri has come out in support of skipper Virat Kohli. Kohli’s much awaited Surrey stint has been canceled by BCCI, due to the former’s neck sprain. Shastri speaking to Mumbai Mirror said that Kohli is a human being and not a machine, justifying the board’s decision to rest him.

Shastri said: “He had to skip the county stint because he is not a top dog. He is not a machine but a human being. It is not a case of putting rocket fuel up his backside and getting him on the park. Even a top dog can’t be given rocket fuel up his backside,” the coach added. The top dog comment is in reference to Moeen Ali calling his RCB skipper a potential star at Surrey.”

Kohli suffered a neck injury during Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 17.

Speaking of work load, Kohli appeared in nine Tests, 29 ODIs and 9 T20Is for India since June 2017. Adding to the tally, he also played all 14 matches for RCB in IPL 2018.

Kohli was to play 6 games for Surrey in June. With this neck injury, Kohli could miss initial part of India’s tour of Ireland and England.