BCCI should focus on domestic and bilateral cricket post lockdown: Ravi Shastri

COVID-19 has thrown the cricket world off its chart. While boards across the globe are trying to figure out ways to ensure a safe return to action post the ongoing mayhem, India’s coach Ravi Shastri thinks that the focus should be on domestic cricket once the lockdown is over.

"I wouldn't put too much emphasis on world events right now. Stay at home, ensure domestic cricket comes back to normal, cricketers at all levels - international, First Class, etc - all get back on the field. That's the most important bit. Second: Start with bilateral cricket. If we (India) had to choose between hosting a World Cup and a bilateral tour, obviously, we'd settle for the bilateral. Instead of 15 teams flying in, we'd settle for one team flying in and playing an entire bilateral series at one or two grounds," Shastri told the Times of India.

And it’s not just the IPL, the former India all-rounder thinks that cricket boards of England, Australia, South Africa and others should also focus on their domestic cricket.

"It's a great opportunity for every country to focus on its domestic cricket and that should be given paramount importance.”

Shastri said that like anybody else, the lockdown is difficult for sportspersons to manage. "Just the way a professional from any sphere would be looking for normal life to resume, a cricketer will be looking for cricket to resume at the earliest. They're going to be tough times because it's next to impossible to keep an international sportsperson - used to hours of training and playing the sport - in complete lockdown."

Shastri also shared his lockdown routine, "Coordinating with the support staff on a regular basis, coordinating with the BCCI's operations team, imparting observations from international cricket with coaches at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).”

Divulging the details of how the team is working together as a group during these days, he said, "We're having chats with the support staff on a regular basis and they're speaking to players on a regular basis. There's constant monitoring of workload, a forum has been created, there's adequate feedback coming - all this data will be doubly important once the players step out on the field. It'll be extremely important to know how the players dealt with the lockdown, physically and mentally, and work accordingly.”

And how does the coach see players return to action once the lockdown is eased across the country?

"Skill-based sessions will begin once there's an easing out of the present situation. Until then, we can only hope people stay safe and locked in - not just cricketers and sportspersons but I say this for everybody - and focus on what's coming when normalcy resumes,” added Shastri.