After only his first real assignment in the job, Virat Kohli already knows the extent of scrutiny an India captain comes under, says a report in The Indian Express. “He also knows that this scrutiny doesn't always come from cricketing quarters. After the fifth ODI against Zimbabwe, Kohli had to answer questions pertaining to disgruntled tweets from Jammu & Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, over the team management's decision not to play off spinner Parvez Rasool in the dead-rubber match,” adds the report.
Had Rasool played, he would have become the first cricketer from J&K to play for India. As it happened, he ended up as the only member of India's touring party who didn't get a game during the five-match series.
“Kohli responded to his critics in the best manner possible. Others in the squad who had got to play in the series, he said, had had to wait their turn, too. He took the example of Amit Mishra, who had sat on the bench throughout the Champions Trophy in England and the tri-series in the West Indies before finally getting an opportunity in Zimbabwe, with R Ashwin rested,” says the report.
According to a report in The Hindu, Virat Kohli feels it was “unfortunate” that Parveez Rasool could not get a game during the recent ODI series against Zimbabwe but insisted that the Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder just did not fit into the team’s bowling plans during the tour.
“I’m not really bothered about what’s being said about people getting chances, because a lot of people who have played these five games have been sitting on the bench for two months or so,” Kohli said when queried about not including Rasool, who could have become the first J&K cricketer to play for India.
India swept the series 5-0 and in the final ODI, it was expected that Rasool would be given a chance as the side had an invincible lead in hand but Kohli said the 24-year-old would get his break later.
“Parveez realises we had a set bowling combination and we didn’t want to make any changes to that. It was unfortunate he didn’t get a game, but it just didn’t go according to our plans. Maybe in future when he plays more series he’ll get a few games to test his skills out,” he said.
Meanwhile a report in Deccan Chronicle says that when asked if Rasool could have been given a chance in place of another all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, Kohli said, “It’s very hard to leave someone like Jadeja out because he’s the kind of bowler who can get you wickets at any point of time.”
“We didn’t want to take any game lightly and I didn’t want to change too much in the bowling department. Mishra has been sitting out for a while so we wanted to give him four or five games.
“Parveez is going to South Africa now for the India ‘A’ tour and he’s going to play a lot of games there and pick up more experience. He could have been given a chance but I just didn’t want to take a chance with the bowling line-up, leaving someone like Jadeja out,” he added.