Aware that his star-studded pace attack isn't getting any younger, India captain Virat Kohli says the team's think-tank will need to have the next crop of speed merchants ready soon enough as one can't "squeeze the life out" of established names. While Jasprit Bumrah, 26, is expected to lead the pace pack for many more years, Ishant Sharma, who will be 32 this year, and Mohammed Shami (29) have already reached the peak of their prowess. Not to forget Umesh Yadav, who will turn 33 this year.

"These guys are not getting any younger so we need to be very careful and very aware and accept that these are situations that can potentially come up and have guys who can replace them and ready up and running as soon as possible," Kohli said. Ishant's poorly handled rehabilitation, which saw a recurrence of ankle tear, and the kind of workload that Shami has taken in the past two years, are indicators that this team has to be ready for transition in the pace department in the perhaps the next couple of years. "...we do need to recognise who are the next three-four guys that can keep the standard up because you don't want to feel a void suddenly if a couple of guys miss out," Kohli gave enough indications that the management is zeroing in new talents with an eye on future. With Indian team's packed schedule across formats, Kohli said that it's inhuman to "squeeze the life out of individuals". "That's what happens in cricket. Mini transitions happen every now and then, and you need to be aware of them," Kohli said.