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India captain Virat Kohli predicted that it will become common to see two squads playing at the same time.
Kohli believes that having separate teams will be beneficial for keeping the mental health of the players in check.
The Indian Test cricket team will travel to the UK while the limited-overs cricket team will head to Sri Lanka.
Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket team captain, mentioned that playing two squads simultaneously in different locations could become a norm in the future as a result of the big bubble-like atmosphere that affects players’ mental health.
With the widespread threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of international squads have decided to send their teams to various destinations simultaneously, which could become a common occurrence in the blasé world of bio-bubbles that cricketers are forced to exist in. This was evidenced by Indian captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday, who stated, “Two India squads going to different locations simultaneously could become the norm.” However, a second-string India squad will soon be picked for the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka in July, where they will face host nation England as well as New Zealand for five Tests. According to Kohli, their mental health is suffering because of the difficult biosecure environment, and they will be given time to recover from this.
Cricket great Virat Kohli explained to pre-departure press conference press that due to the current structure and the kind of structure you’re competing in for a long period of time, it’s difficult for the players to stay motivated and find their mental space.
“You are limited to a specific area and limited to doing repetitive tasks, day in and day out when you’re working under extreme pressure. Because of this, it will almost certainly become the standard in the future “In addition, he said.
As part of their preparation for the Cricket World Cup, the Indian team had to quarantine in Mumbai for 14 days and will also have to do a soft quarantine upon their arrival in the UK. Players around the world have commented on the issues they’ve faced participating in tournaments over and over again inside bio-bubbles.
“Apart from the workloads, there will be a lot of mental health considerations because you have nothing to express yourself with,” said Kohli.
“You must go down into the earth, return to the room, and you’re left with no place to just disconnect from the game and have a walk or grab a meal or coffee. “All right, I’ll get away from the game for a bit.”
“Therefore, I believe this is an important consideration which should not be ignored. To preserve our hard work, we don’t want players losing their roles due to mental pressures, which depletes their capacity to express themselves.”
While on the field, Kohli made his endorsement for players asking for breaks to help deal with mental health issues.
“And so I believe there should always be a way for players to communicate directly with the management, telling them, “I’m not sure if I’m making the right decisions, and I just need a break. I want to distance myself from the game.”
So, based on what I’ve seen, I think that is going to be a major consideration, and the management seems to have taken that into consideration.
While sitting beside Kohli, the head coach, Ravi Shastri mentioned the recent schedule and quarantines and how players’ jobs are made more difficult because of this.
“The World Championship is only one of the events you’re referring to. However, if you would like to include this, you must play in five Tests within six weeks in this environment. It’s no exaggeration to say that “Shastri commented, “
“Even the fittest individuals will need a break from time to time. It’s not just the physical aspect; it’s the mental as well, and Virat had noted it, referring to his recent exit from the tournament.
“Performing the same day-to-day activities and then being expected to do it all over again. Recovering is difficult, especially if you’ve had a difficult day.
He stressed the importance of moving the players around and keeping them mentally sharp.
Although Kohli stated that it is possible to use two squads in two different locations on a regular basis, Shastri stated the same thing.
“No one can say for sure. Currently, because of the current situation and other transportation restrictions, it is occurring. You can never tell. Shorter formats might be a way to expand the game in the future “Shastri added, “
“In other words, when you have that much volume of cricketers and you want to spread the T20 game to countries all over the world, why not go the extra mile and host a World T20 tournament? That could be a potential solution “Shastri went on to say
