Virat Kohli will continue playing for India till his body allows, says R Sridhar

New Delhi: Team India's cricketing schedule is quite hectic and fielding coach R Sridhar said that skipper Virat Kohli will continue to play till his body allows him to.

Addressing the media after the second day of India vs Sri Lanka Test match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Sridhar said, "Each member in this team is very proud to represent his country at any given opportunity. Most in the team love to play every match. Knowing Virat, he wears his pride on his sleeve. As long as his body allows he would not miss a single second of the match."

India has had a tough schedule ahead of the two-month tour to South Africa which begins next month. Kohli's side is currently facing Sri Lanka for a full tour which includes three Tests, three ODIs and three T20s, just a few weeks after playing three ODIs and three T20Is against New Zealand.

With the away tour in mind, all-rounder Hardik Pandya was not included in the squad for the current series after he asked for rest. Speaking on the omission of the 24-year old, Sridhar said, "The parameters we take into consideration is the workload. The time he spent at the crease, overs, batting…based on that, the team management takes a call on who needs to be rotated."

Sridhar’s remarks came two days after Indian skipper, at a press conference said he is not a "robot" and needs rest. "Definitely I do need rest, why don’t I need rest? When I think of the time my body should be rested, I’ll ask for it. I am not a robot you can slice my skin and check I bleed," Kohli had said.

"As far as fielding goes, the formula is very simple, the more you practice the better you get. You can see the results because it’s a controllable skill of the game unlike bowling and batting which one cannot control,” he said. “The fitter the player, the better the result on the field. You are agiler," Sridhar added.