Managing workload will be crucial going forward: Virat

New Delhi: 29-year-old Virat Kohli who has been rested for the ongoing tri-nation Twenty20 series in Sri Lanka on Tuesday acknowledged that managing work load will be crucial for him going forward. Speaking at a promotional event in Mumbai, the Indian skipper said the time has come that he listened to his body and mind.

Virat along with other team India regulars was rested after an exhausting tour of South Africa which lasted for about two months. Virat, regarded as one of the fittest cricketers in the world missed out only the last T20I of the tour with niggle. Apart from that the Indian run machine featured in 3 Tests, 6 ODIs and 2 T20 internationals. The India skipper elaborated on the challenges faced during the tour and the process of his recovery ahead of another packed international season.

“Physically I had a few niggles, I am just getting over those. The workload has started to disagree (taking a toll) with me a little bit. I have to be very careful about how I go forward with my body, my mind, my cricket. Times like these are very-very important going ahead. I am totally enjoying it. I do not even have an inch of me missing out on anything because my body really needed this. Although I am keeping a track of the games, I do not watch matches right now and feel like I want to be on the field because I have started to listen to my body,” said Virat.

Kohli said the break is helping him recover for fresh challenges ahead, starting with the IPL.

"When I am done with this period, obviously in the IPL I will be coming out fresh. I will be mentally in a better place on the field. I have been on the road for a long, long time. I have hardly missed any games. You need to pay respect to your body as well at times and this phase is very important to me,” Kohli explained.

Kohli along with four other cricketers was recently given an A+ Central contract by the BCCI. Virat asserted that he is confident of playing in all formats of the game.