Team India Batting coach believes the break will affect both batsmen and bowlers equally

The pandemic might have caused a temporary pause in cricketing activity, but sporting activity is slowly returning, although with caution and restrictions. There have been constant discussions surrounding how sports would look like in a post-COVID world, especially to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Vikram Rathour, the batting coach of the Indian cricket team has spoken about how the game and the players might be impacted by the situation.

Rathour echoed the sentiments of most of the cricketing fraternity, that the sport should return even if with restrictions. “The priority will be for cricket to start. If at that time there are still no vaccinations available, then whatever precautions are required, we will have to take. If that means having to play in empty stadiums, so be it. It is not ideal but I'm sure that the players will manage it,” he said.

Rathour also spoke about how he has dealt with the unusual scenario of not having any kind of cricketing activity for an elongated period. “The last few months have been unprecedented. None of us has gone through the kind of situation that we are facing now. The challenge was, or still is, to keep the players motivated and do the best they can to be ready for when the cricket starts. When you are playing international cricket, you are on the move all the time. Traveling and playing matches day-in-day-out. This break has given me an opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with the players,” Rathour explained. 

The break has given the chance for self-reflection, believes Rathour. “As there was no possibility of playing cricket, the best thing to do was to do self-analysis and self-reflection. Identifying the areas of your game that you want to improve in, and also how you want to work towards it. Reflecting on the kind of cricket you've played last year. Things that you have done well and also things that you did not do well. The players were advised to do shadow practice and do lots of visualization,” Rathour further elaborated.

With the pandemic having forced a pause in cricketing activity, Rathour believes the break will affect both the batsmen and the bowlers equally. “t will be equally challenging for both - batsmen and the bowlers - to get back to their peak form after a long break like this. The good thing is that most of the players have been managing to train well during the lockdown. Their fitness routines are being monitored closely by the trainers and physios. So, we are hoping that whenever the outdoor sessions start, it will be a matter of a few weeks of practice and then they should be ready to start playing some practice/domestic matches and then on to international cricket,” Rathour said.

ICC’s recommendation on banning saliva to shine the ball has come under criticism, especially by the bowlers who fear the game will become even more batsmen-friendly. Rathour agreed with the sentiments against the saliva ban, but he believes there are other possible solutions. “If you are not allowed to put anything on the ball to shine, then yes, it could be an advantage for the batters. But if you can use your sweat, or if the ICC allows some artificial stuff to shine the ball, then the difference would not be too big. As long as it is going to be the same for all the teams, it should be fine”, he said.

[Cricbuzz inputs]