Former India head coach Ravi Shastri stressed the importance of handling players with empathy and care amid the bio-bubble restrictions in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and asked Virat Kohli to take a break from competitive action.

Highlighting that Virat Kohli has been going through a lean patch in IPL 2022, Ravi Shastri said the former India captain still has 6-7 years of cricket left in him and India should make sure they don’t lose out on it by pushing him hard, especially during these times when bio-bubble fatigue is a cause of concern.

Shastri suggested Kohli should be offered a break before or after India’s tour of England, adding that the RCB star’s brain is fried amid the constant scrutiny and the burden of expectations.

Virat Kohli got out for a golden duck in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s win over Lucknow Super Giants in Match 31 of IPL 2022 on Tuesday. Kohli threw his bat at a wide delivery and was caught at point. The star batter looked hopeless as he was unable to believe what he had done in the middle.

“When I was coach at the time when this first started, the first thing I said is ‘you have to show empathy to the guys’. If you’re going to be forceful, there is a very thin line there, from a guy losing the plot as opposed to him hanging in there and giving his best. So you have to be extremely careful,” Ravi Shastri told Star Sports.

“I am going straight to the main guy here. Virat Kohli is overcooked. If anyone needs a break, it’s him.

“Whether it’s 2 months or a month-and-a-half, whether it’s after England or before England.

“He needs a break because he has got 6-7 years of cricket left in him and you don’t want to lose that with a fried brain. He is not the only one. There might be 1 or 2 in world cricket going through the same. You need to address the problem upfront,” Shastri said.

A lot was expected of Kohli as he had headed into IPL 2022 after having given up the captaincy of RCB. Over the last 6 months, Kohli quit as T20I captain, he was sacked as ODI captain and gave up Test captaincy to focus on contributing to the team with the bat.

However, Kohli has struggled to get going, managing just 119 runs in 7 matches in IPL 2022 at a paltry average of 19.83.

TURN OFF SOCIAL MEDIA

Agreeing with Shastri’s comments, former England captain Kevin Pietersen urged Virat Kohli to switch off from the sport, take a break from social media and use the time away from the game to get re-energised.

Pietersen said Team India should make sure Kohli returns to the set-up when he comes back from the break.

“100 percent correct, Ravi. The guy has had so much to deal with, from marriage to baby to media scrutiny and all on his personal life. He is the biggest star on show.

“Virat Kohli needs to say ‘cricket boots, for six months, I will see you later’. Turn off social media, go and get re-energised. When the stadiums are full again, you guarantee him a spot in that side for the next 12, 24 or 36 months. Tell him ‘you’re our guy, we know you’ll deliver for us’.

“I think he is going to find it very hard to continue delivering now. His brain, as Ravi Shastri said, is completely fried,” Pietersen said.

Kohli’s wait for a century in competitive cricket extended to 100 matches following his golden duck for RCB against LSG.