Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma and and director of cricket operations of the three-time Indian Premier League champions Zaheer Khan said that the workload management at the franchise-based event is an individual’s responsibility.
The suggestion came amid a debate around the workload management of players, who are now gearing up for a gruelling IPL which will end barely days before the World Cup begins in the United Kingdom on May 30.
“It’s going to be challenging as always. We have been on the road for last three or four years,” Rohit said. “We have played a lot of back to back cricket. It depends on individuals. You should always listen to your body.
“Yes, the World Cup is our priority. The IPL is also one of the biggest tournaments in the world. That is our priority as well. Keeping everything in mind we would take a decision collectively [on workload factor] on each individual.”
Khan felt that it was up to the individual to listen to their bodies as far as workload was concerned. “I have always felt it’s an individual call,” the former India pacer said.
He added, “You have to listen to body and respond. I think we all recognise how important the World Cup is as a tournament and we also understand what the IPL brings to the table – match practice and intensity.
“You don’t want a lay-off for a long time for any cricketer. He needs to be in touch and dealing with pressure. That is also going to be a huge factor in the World Cup. We understand all that and steps will be taken.”
Khan also called for the players to play with freedom and be concerned about picking up injuries. He said: “There has been a lot of talk about workload. You have to trust each and every member of the World Cup squad. We don’t want them to play in the tournament thinking ‘if I give 100 per cent I may get injured and be blamed for it’. We need to take that pressure away from them.
“Playing more and more matches has always worked for me. We all need to make peace with the workload talk and the World Cup talk. We understand how important it is and, at the same, time need to create a scenario where everyone is trusting them.”
Rohit added, “Some of the players that I have spoken to in the Indian team and here, like to keep in touch, they like to keep playing. They are smart, they know when they need to take a back seat and rest.
I will play as opener for MI, says Rohit
Rohit said he will open in all the games of Mumbai Indians this season, having batted at number four in a lot of games during 2018. “In the past, I have batted in the middle order and opened also in a few games. This year I will open the batting in all the games, that’s for sure,” the 31-year-old said, ahead of the season opener.
“Yes, the World Cup is one of the factors, but also while keeping in mind that this is where I bat for India and that’s where I have got a lot of my success of late.”