KARACHI, June 24: India’s South African coach Gary Kirsten on Tuesday said it was vital to try different combinations to keep players fresh amid a hectic and demanding international calendar.

“I am very much in favour of a rotation policy to keep the players fresh and we need to have a pool of around 20 players,” said Kirsten ahead of his team’s first match in the Asia Cup against Hong Kong here on Wednesday.

India, who won a tri-series tournament in Australia earlier this year, lost to Pakistan in the final of another tri-series tournament in Bangladesh earlier this month, missing key players Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth through injuries.

Kirsten said the injuries to key players emphasised the importance of rotation.

“We have got to rest players and we have got to rotate. Test cricket is tough with bowlers bowling around 25 overs a day in three to four Tests and it is tough. So we need to rotate players,” stated Kirsten, who played 101 Tests and 185 one-dayers for South Africa.Kirsten, 40, who took over as India coach in March, said a system needs to be created to avoid injuries.

“The system needs to create that and it is unfair to ask the player himself to be rested and he is also worried that if his replacement does well then he will lose his place,” he expressed.

“So we need a rotation system in which if we rest a bowler, and his replacement does well, he still remains the number one bowler and gets his place back.”—AFP