A senior BCCI official has warned that the stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could be left stranded in pandemic-stricken Mumbai when senior players start training again. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to allow outdoor training as early as next week when a further easing of the government’s nationwide coronavirus lockdown is to start.
However, in Mumbai, where the Indian skipper, Kohli, and his deputy Sharma are based, is at the forefront of India’s battle against the pandemic, and tough restrictions are expected to be maintained there.
During a chat with AFP, a BCCI treasurer said, “For players like Kohli and Rohit, the restrictions are there in Mumbai and might stay.”
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Mumbai has recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths and accounts for more than a third of India’s active cases so far. The number of new cases is still rising. Dhumal said that following government talk of further easing its nearly two-month-old lockdown, “some skill-based training” outdoors could be possible in other parts of India.
While international cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) have been high-profile sporting victims of the coronavirus, Kohli and other players have been keeping their fans updated about their indoor training and other activities on social media during the lockdown.
Dhumal said India’s National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore was working on a post-lockdown plan for players that would be adapted to the level of restrictions.
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The bCCI treasurer explained, “As of now we are working, given the lockdown restrictions, through apps and online modes. The coaches and support staff are regularly in touch with the players. Everybody would be keen to hit the ground and the idea is whenever we are ready for cricket to resume, they (the players) are able to give their 100 percent.”
India have a short tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for June but there are certain chances that it will be called off.
