Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri think playing with two squads could become a norm

Team India are scheduled to play two series back to back - one in England and one in Sri Lanka later this year. While this was seen as an incredible show of bench strength by some, Team India head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli have welcomed the move.

The Indian cricketers are no strangers to playing around the year. However, in the new normal of bio-bubbles and confinement for long periods of time, Captain Kohli believes that having two squads for different formats can become the norm. "With the current structure and the kind of structure that you're competing inside for a long period of time, it's very difficult for the players to stay motivated and find the right kind of mental space," he said before the team boarded the flight to England. 

At a time when players' mental health is increasingly becoming a topic of debate amidst long periods of confinement, Captain Kohli's words hold even more value. "You know just confined in one area and just doing the stuff, day in and day out when you're dealing with high-pressure situations. So, this (two squads) will definitely become a norm for the future," he added.

Indian coach Ravi Shastri had a bigger prize in his sights when he spoke of the advantages of playing with two distinct squads. "Well, you never know. At the moment it's happening because of the current situation and restrictions on travel and things of that sort. But you never know. In the future if you want to expand the game, especially in the shorter formats, then it could be the way to go,” said Shastri.

"You know, why not, when you have that much volume of cricketers and if you want to spread the T20 game across the globe, then that could be the way ahead because if you're talking of Olympics in four years or eight years'' time, you need more countries to play the game. So that could be a way forward," Shastri concluded.