New Delhi: Former captain Dilip Vengsarkar doubts if Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men would be mentally fresh and fit for the Twenty20 World Cup after the recent Indian Premier League which he fears could cause "cricket overkill" in India.
"The Indian players are now in a situation where they play two high-pressure Twenty20 tournaments, back-to-back and that's never ideal," Vengsarkar said.
"It's the job of administrators to ensure that the players are fresh and ready. Otherwise, there is the possibility of a cricket overkill in India," he was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
The former batsman felt coach Gary Kirsten would require to lift the tired-looking Team India in time for their first warm-up game at Lord's against New Zealand on June 1.
"It's a big challenge for Kirsten and his support staff to manage this task. I hope they can pull it off because resting the players completely can't also be done at this point of time."
"There are just a few days to go and the players have to practice to maintain their form, fitness and match rhythm, which is so important in Twenty20 cricket," he said.
The former chief selector advised the BCCI to revise the schedule and format of the IPL so that players could remain fit for international commitments.
"The IPL schedule (37 days this year and 44 days last year) is simply too long and I feel very strongly about it."
"It affects the fitness and form of players for major international events. And there are always chances of mental fatigue creeping in."
"One possible solution is to have 10 teams in the IPL playing nine matches each for a maximum of around 25-30 days. I think that's the way to go about it, from the players' perspective," he added.
India play Pakistan in their second warm-up game at the Oval on June 3 before leaving for Trent Bridge to play their preliminary matches against Bangladesh on June 6 and Ireland on June 10.
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