Rahul Dravid believes it is too soon for cricket to resume in India

Cricket may have slowly started to rise back to action across the globe, but Indian cricket and RCB legend Rahul Dravid believes that it is too soon for cricket to resume in India. With cases rising in India every day, Dravid is of the opinion that it is better safe than sorry.

"I don't think we are in a position to resume…. It is better to be patient and wait," Dravid told The Week. "We have to take it month by month. One has to look at all options. If the domestic season, which usually starts by August-September, starts in October… one has to see whether the season should be shortened.”

Dravid, who is now the head of the National Cricket Academy added, ”Everything is uncertain right now. How much cricket will be played and what it will take to be able to play depends on the guidelines from the government and medical experts. For us at NCA, the busiest time is from April to June. We normally have our zonal, U-16, U-19, U-23 camps happening at this time. [But] we had to keep redrawing plans. I just hope we don't lose a lot of our cricket season, and that we can get some cricket this year. The NCA will possibly open initially for some local cricketers."

"Those arriving from other places will have to first quarantine themselves for 14 days. Whether that is possible, we have to see,” Dravid said.

Dravid was empathetic to the players’ plight while speaking of the resumption of domestic competitions. "For domestic cricket, fortunately, we were able to complete most of our competitions before the lockdown. We have to see whether players are comfortable with inter-state travel. Our training programs will depend on which domestic tournament will be played first. If it is T20, then we will start the program accordingly.”

With international cricket poised to resume soon with England hosting West Indies for a three-match Test series, bio-secure environments have been the talk of the town. However, Dravid believes that it will not be as easy to replicate the system in domestic cricket. "In international cricket, it is possible," Dravid said speaking about bio-secure environments. "I believe the England-West Indies series will be a lesson for all. It has its own challenges. It is not as easy at the domestic level.”

When it comes to the resumption of training camps at the age-group levels, Dravid endorsed the safety-first approach. "The best-case scenario is that we will be able to hold some camps once cricket activity is allowed," he said. "The worst-case scenario is the season is totally washed out [for age-group cricket]. Missing a few months of cricket is nothing compared with ensuring we are safe.”

[ESPN Cricinfo inputs]