The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Indian cricketers
When the news came out of the IPL being postponed till further notice, a lot of voices were raised over the amount of money the bigwigs, the superstars of international cricket, who commanded big money in the auction stood to lose. However, the impact of the uncertainty over the league has also put the futures of the uncapped Indian players in a tough spot. The players who could have possibly made their debut, or in the very least gotten to share the dressing room with the who’s who of world cricket stand to lose the most, both economically and career-wise.
R Sai Kishore, who was picked up by the Chennai Superkings in the auction on the back of impressive performances in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, was hoping to upgrade his training facility. "I've trained there since childhood, I still continue to use it extensively. Getting more bowling machines, better nets, etc. would help the others training there as well,” Sai Kishore voiced. However, Sai Kishore does not fail to see what is important in the current scenario."It is disappointing but in the current situation, the lives that we're living - of safety and with food on our plates - is a life of luxury. We cannot be complaining, it's time we look beyond just ourselves.”
RCB’s latest recruit, Shahbaz Ahmed, raised concerns over the possible ill-effects of being forced to take a break from cricket owing to the pandemic. “You don't know if you will be in the kind of form that you were in when you were picked," he said. "Maybe by the time the IPL is played, I may lose my rhythm. As a junior player, such opportunities don't come easily.”
Karnataka all-rounder Aniruddha Joshi who found a new home in Rajasthan Royals was hoping to gain recognition through his performances this season in the IPL. "In the last few years, finding a place in the Karnataka side has become very competitive," Joshi said. "So far, I was getting selected only in the T20 side because my fitness was an issue. I worked towards that and continue to follow the training program given to us by the Rajasthan Royals strength and conditioning coach. I was hoping that if I did well in IPL this year, I would get selected in the other formats as well.”
Tushar Deshpande, the pacer from Mumbai, who would now be playing for Delhi Capitals alongside the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Ishant Sharma, however, is trying to stay positive despite the disquietude such situations can conjure. "I realise that this time can be a little frustrating, so I'm making sure I don't lose my cool. I'm watering plants, meditating, keeping myself engaged. I was preparing for this tournament, not only in training and practice but also mentally readying myself for it. Since I can't practice bowling anywhere, I have to make sure whenever normal life resumes I don't have to catch up too much.”
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