There is no doubt that the number of cricket matches that players have to play have multiplied manifold over the last two decades or so. The last 2 years period has been a slight anomaly because of the Covid-19 situation, which hit the sporting calendar quite hard. And cricket was no exception. The pandemic forced multiple countries to postpone or cancel cricket fixtures but overall, when sport can be played, the workload is a heavy one. And the issue needs to be looked at. The
Indian senior men's cricket team is one of the premier cricket teams in the world and their workload too, like that of other top teams, has become extremely heavy. Player rotation, adequate rest, pinpointing specific players for specific formats, building a second and third rung of players who can step in whenever needed therefore have steadily become areas that National Boards and team managements have started looking at more and more seriously. It
wasn't a surprise really to see
Virat Kohli being rested after the
World Cup for the entire T20I series vs New Zealand and the first Test.
Virat is in that bracket of Indian players who play all formats of the game and are almost constantly on the road. New Zealand captain
Kane Williamson too realized he needed rest after the T20 World Cup, in which the Kiwis made it all the way to the final, and decided to skip the T20I series vs India. The Kiwis who were part of the NZ squad for the tour of India had almost immediately after the World Cup final pack their bags and travel to India. In
the post
Covid world, the mental health aspect of players and the possible threat of player burnout is rightfully being talked about more and more as well.
Glenn Maxwells decision to pull out in the middle of a series in 2019 because he needed to take a mental break might have surprised some, but it was a very important message to others. One that said - it's alright to take a break when you think you need one, even if you are not physically tired. Mental tiredness needs to be a factor too. You don't have to play every single match. From
the outside it might look all glitzy and glamorous, but being in constant bio-bubbles is a very tough thing to do. Another
thing that needs to be kept in mind while discussing player workload is that the players are not just in action while playing the matches. Their work starts from the moment they leave their homes and are on the road travelling for various assignments. Just
look at India's current schedule. IPL
2021 finished on October 15. The T20 World Cup began on October 17. India of course started their campaign in the Super 12 stage and played their first match on October 24, but the players selected in the Indian squad had to hit their reset buttons after the IPL and make this very quick turnaround to be in World Cup mode. India were knocked out in the Super 12 stage itself, which meant the players who were selected for the T20I series vs New Zealand got a mini break, if we could call it that, before the series against the Black Caps began. Hypothetically if India had made it to the final, they would have been in the same position that the Kiwis found themselves in - playing an international bilateral series (which started on November 17), barely two days after a World Cup final (November 14). The NZ series ends with two Tests in Kanpur and Mumbai. The second Test is scheduled till December 7. And after that Team India fly off to South Africa for a full tour (Tests, ODI's and T20Is), which begins with the first Test starting December 17.
You must be logged in to post a comment.