India Test captain Anil Kumble on Monday endorsed his ODI counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni's view that back-to-back matches are taking a toll on the players' bodies.
"It's never easy to play back-to-back one-day games," Kumble told reporters when his reaction was sought on Dhoni's comments.
"I have done that in my (one-day) career. It's quite tough and demanding on the players", he said on the last day of a week-long camp in Bangalore for Test specialists as part of the preparations for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour.
Dhoni on Saturday lambasted the gruelling Asia Cup schedule after his side swamped Bangladesh by seven wickets to record their third successive win in the competition in Karachi.
Dhoni had said: "We have spent 36 hours playing cricket out of the 84 hours we have been in Karachi. It is too tight. I am not happy with the schedule. Two teams have to play back to back matches while two have got a day off."
He also said that his players were tired after the matches. "It was tough out there for us."
Meanwhile, on the umpire referral system, Kumble declined to pass a judgement for now, saying the system can be analysed only when it is put to use.
"It's in an experimental stage. We have to look at it in Sri Lanka," he said.
But he rejected suggestions that the system would lead to teams failing to bowl the mandatory 90 overs in a day in Test matches owing to time delays.
In such situations, captains would have to move things quickly (to make for time loss) and ensure that daily quota is completed. In the last six months, he had no problem in ensuring that 90 overs were bowled in a day.
"I don't think it (the new system) will stop us doing that (completing 90 overs in a day)," Kumble said.
He also said the Indian side never goes into any series keeping in mind where it would stand in the ICC Test ranking after the tour.
"I don't think any new competition will make us better; make us more passionate about the game."
