With the coronavirus pandemic looming over the whole world, the game of cricket too has to adapt to the changing scenario.
Cricket boards and countries have created strict bio-bubbles for the safety of cricketers during overseas tours and tournaments.
Under this, cricketers are only allowed to move in a restricted area (hotels and stadium) and interact with a very limited number of people.
Prominent cricketers have spoken about how this is very tough on their mental health.
Team India too has been placed in bio-bubbles for months during their overseas tour.
Commenting on bio-bubbles, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that Indians are “more tolerant” to deal with mental health issues than cricketers from countries like England and Australia.
“I feel we Indians are a bit more tolerant than overseas (cricketers). I’ve played with a lot of Englishmen, Australians, West Indians, they just give up on mental health. “In the last six-seven months, with so much cricket being going on in the bio-bubble it’s so tough. Just going from the hotel room to the ground, handle the pressure and come back to the room and then get back to the ground again, it’s an absolutely different life.”
Citing the example of the Australian cricket team, Ganguly said in the virtual promotional event:
“Look at the Australian team, they were supposed to go to South Africa for a Test series after India played there. They refused to go there… And always there’s this scare of COVID. ‘Hope it’s not me the next time’. You have to stay positive, you have to train yourself mentally. All of us have to train ourselves mentally so that the good will happen. It boils down to training.”
Australia pulled out of their tour to South Africa following their defeat to India at home.
Australia were slated for a three-Test tour in March-April.
The team cited an “unacceptable level of health and safety risk to players, support staff and the community”.
