"Take a backseat and think what you need to do in the future" - Ashish Nehra happy with Virat Kohli sitting out the West Indies series

Ashish Nehra has cast his vote in favor of the Indian selectors' decision to give Virat Kohli a break in the upcoming limited-overs series against the West Indies.

Kohli managed just 16 runs in the second ODI against England on Thursday, July 14. The former Indian skipper will have one last chance to redeem himself in the final ODI on Sunday before he takes a break in the forthcoming white-ball series against the Caribbean side.

While reflecting on Kohli's dismissal in Thursday's game during a discussion on Sony Sports, Nehra was in favor of Virat Kohli sitting out the West Indies series, saying:

"I will say one match is left after this, you are not going to West Indies, and you probably need this break as well. I will say the three-four weeks in between, take a backseat and think what you need to do in the future and then come back."

The former Indian pacer opined that an experienced player like Kohli doesn't need to keep playing regularly to regain his touch. Nehra observed:

"You are talking about a player like Virat Kohli, the runs are not getting scored at all at the moment. When you are scoring runs, you keep on playing continuously and especially if you are a young player. Here you are talking about an experienced player."

Kohli has scored a meager 59 runs in the five innings he has played in the ongoing tour of England. He has a highest score of 20 in this period, which came in the second innings of the Birmingham Test.

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"If there is any chance of scoring runs, it is probably a break" - Ashish Nehra on Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli missed the first ODI against England due to a groin injury

Nehra added that he was happy to hear that Kohli is skipping the West Indies tour. He reasoned:

"He is not the sort of player who if he keeps on playing, runs will be scored some time at least. To be very honest, I felt very good hearing that he is not going for the West Indies tour because if there is any chance of scoring runs, it is probably a break, more practice, some change in the technique, what all you can do."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by observing that playing continuously can prove counterproductive at times. Nehra stated:

You can only think about what you have to do in the future if you give yourself time. If you keep on playing back to back, sometimes there is a problem."

Cricket experts have divided opinions on Virat Kohli taking a break from cricket. While some feel it will do him a world of good, others reckon that he can only regain his mojo by spending time in the middle.

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