The Indian cricket team is probably one of the biggest drawcard in world sports and the gigantic drawcard among the cricketing nations. So much so that an Indian tour ensures that the hosting board is able to pay its dues to all its stakeholders. The current series in Australia is a very good example. The Australian board did not leave any stone unturned to ensure that the series goes ahead. Such is the power of Indian cricket at the moment. Having said that, the Indian cricket board cannot or rather must not satisfy the needs of all the boards. It is not their job. It will have to take care of its players. However, evidence seems to suggest to the contrary. I have already written about mindless scheduling of games. Let me analyse and it will be easier to understand how the board is hardly bothered about its players.
Living under bio-secure bubble
All of us are living during strange and difficult time. It has been close to a year when things spiralled out of control. The cricketers are finding it even more difficult. They must live under strict bio-secure bubble. A lot of players have spoken about how difficult it is living under the bubble over a long period of time. Teams have started to realise the importance of mental conditioning coach though not every team has one. Whenever a team visits, they are expected to undergo 2 weeks mandatory quarantine followed by staying within the confines of the hotel throughout the series. This will take a heavy toll on the players as well as the support staff.
Crazy schedule
Just a cursory glance at the schedule of the Indian cricket team reveals a shocking picture. The Indian team had a break of about 7 months after the New Zealand tour. After that, they had to travel to UAE for the start of IPL. The IPL went on for 10 weeks with the finals played on November 10, 2020. This is 12 weeks inside the bubble. The entire team travelled to Australia from UAE at the end of IPL for the Australian series. The series started 27th November. However, for the Indian players it started 15 days earlier when they had to be in quarantine. The series ends on 19th January 2021.
On the whole, the team would have spent close to 2.5 months in another bubble. Once they return to India, the England series starts on 5th February and ends on 28 March. This is a further 8 weeks in the bubble. Immediately after the England series, IPL 2021 will start. IPL in 2021 promises to be a much bigger event than usual with the addition of 2 more teams. The number of games and the number of days the players are required to be in the bubble is likely to increase exponentially during the IPL assuming that a vaccine for the virus will not be made that widely available.
From the start of September till the end of IPL likely to be in June, the Indian players would have spent 10 months inside the bubble. That is 10 months of not visiting families, friends and other social gathering eventhough at the limited level. Does the board even think about the mental health of the players when they schedule such nonsense?
Impact on performance
We have seen an entire playing 11 being injured in the current series in Australia. With such mindless schedule, more players can be expected to be affected. This will have a serious impact on the performance of the players. This will only result in lowering the standard of the game.