The outbreak of the Covid-19 virus has affected the world severely. it has brought the world to a standstill with many countries being completely lockdown for safety and to contain the spread of the virus. Many major sporting events have either been postponed or canceled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic affecting the globe. Cricket has also suffered a similar fate with many international and domestic matches re being canceled to avoid mass gathering of people. Amid all the crisis, the Indian team head coach Ravi Shastri takes the positive from the horrific events happening and says that no cricket is a happy welcome break for the Indian cricket team who have been playing nonstop cricket for quite some time.
India has been playing cricket non-stop since the last year and a half and Shastri believes the break will allow the players to recharge their batteries, especially after the long tour of New Zealand, which saw them play five T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests.
“[This rest] cannot be a bad thing because towards the end of the New Zealand tour, you could see some cracks coming up when it came to mental fatigue, physical fitness and injuries,” Shastri told Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain and Rob Key on a Sky Sports podcast. “The amount of cricket we have played over the last ten months, that was beginning to take its toll. Guys like me, and some other guys from the support staff, we left India on May 23 for the World Cup in England. Since then we have been at home for 10 or 11 days.
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Shastri continued with, “There are certain players who played all three formats, so you can imagine the toll it has taken on them, especially being on the field, adjusting from T20s to Test match cricket and all the travel that goes with that because we traveled quite a lot. After England, we went to the West Indies, then played South Africa here [in India]. We had a season of two and a half months here and then again went off to New Zealand. So it has been tough but a welcome rest for players.”
The Indian cricket team has been playing the game without any break for quite a while. Soon after the team went out to the land down under and toured New Zealand for a long series, the Virat Kohli led team was scheduled to play hosts and take on the Proteas. Ravi Shastri admitted that the Boys in Blue did not even have a weeks’ tie to rest before the South Africans came along. The South Africa team was supposed to play the now canceled 3 match ODI series with hosts India from March 8 onwards before the Star-studded IPL began in the latter stages of March.
“It came as a shock but to be honest, having been on the road during the South Africa series, we guys anticipated it,” he said. “We knew something was on the cards as the disease had just started spreading. When the second ODI was called off, we knew something was gonna happen and a lockdown was imminent.” he added
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“I think the players knew it was coming, they sensed it in New Zealand. There were apprehensions towards the end of that tour, when flights were coming through Singapore, out of Singapore. By the time we landed [in India], I thought we got out at just the right time. There were only two cases in New Zealand at that time, that has rocketed now to 300. The day we landed, that was the first day they were screening and testing people at the airport. So [we came back] just in the nick of the time.”
Speaking of the players’ responsibility in such a situation of crisis, Ravi Shastri says that the Indian cricketers are playing a big role in spreading awareness and helping people in every way possible. He shares that the Indian team captain has been instrumental and has constantly shared messages on his social media asking people to stay safe and follow protocol.
“As players, you have a lot of responsibility,” he said. “That’s why the message is very clear that cricket should be last on everyone’s mind now,” he said. “I think the most important thing is safety and not ensuring just your safety but ensuring safety others as well, by creating a kind of awareness that tells people there is something serious around,” Shastri commented.
Ravi Shastri ends with, “Virat has done it, a lot of other players have done it by posting certain messages on social media. So it’s imperative but all the players were very, very calm. They knew that it’s something very serious and there could be a hold up in cricket for some time.”
