"If you want rest take it in the IPL"- Ex-IND Cricketer explains reason behind India's failure in 2022

2022 hasn't gone as expected for the Indian team. They have been dealing with numerous injuries that have also affected the team's performance this year. India couldn't qualify for the finals of the Asia Cup after suffering defeats against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

They were defeated by England by ten wickets in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final. And now they have also lost the ODI series to Bangladesh. However, despite so many injuries, the Indian board kept on resting players in different series throughout the year.

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra reckons that giving the players too much rest has hurt India, and there is no need to take much rest if you are playing for your country. In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Aakash said that there is a lot of rest that is given to the players.

He said, "In the last one to one-and-a-half years, too many players have taken a lot of rest many times. If you want rest take it in the IPL or T20I cricket but not in ODI cricket because this is the World Cup year."

Aakash said that if the players do not play together regularly, they will not be able to prepare properly. He emphasized that Australia experienced this as well, as they did not choose to play with a full strength team ahead of the T20 World Cup, and they were unable to qualify for the semi-finals.

Furthermore, he said that at the time of the Asia Cup, the Indian players were coming off a break, especially the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul, who didn't go to Zimbabwe for the series ahead of the Asia Cup. Notably, Rahul was picked for the team but was left out due to injury.

Aakash also added that despite their poor performance in the T20 World Cup, India gave players rest for their next tour to New Zealand, while the Black Caps, who also played in the semi-final, played with their full team.

The former cricketer concluded by saying that before the start of the IPL, there are only 10 ODIs to be played for India, and all the players should play in those games. He said, "If we are serious about the 2023 World Cup, play the entire team wherever ODI cricket is happening, let's not miss games."