A couple of weeks off after the IPL is a must for the players: Ravi Shastri

Team India has been constantly under quarantine and bio-bubble since the resumption of competitive cricket in August 2020. After the conclusion of IPL 2020, they had directly travelled to Australia for a three-match ODI and T20I series followed by four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy. This was followed by the players having a week off after their arrival in India and then again entering a six-day quarantine period for the England tour of India which commenced from February 5 in Chennai.

After the England tour, the Men in Blue will enter another bio-bubble for the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is scheduled in April and May in India. Following IPL 2021, India are set to play Sri Lanka at home, England on the road and the World Test Championship final if they qualify for it. The T20 World Cup will also be played in India this year in October-November before which a few bilateral T20I series may be scheduled.

Opining on the bio-bubble and quarantine, India’s head coach Ravi Shastri reckoned that staying locked in a hotel room in mentally draining. The former cricketer urged the authorities to give a couple of weeks off to all the players as they are humans and deserve some free time.

“I do believe you need a break from international cricket at some point. After the England series, yes they go into the IPL. Again after the IPL, a couple of weeks off is a must. Because in these quarantines, in these bubbles, it is mentally draining. You are a human, at the end of it all,” Ravi Shastri told Star Sports.

This team takes pride in its performance: Ravi Shastri

India have a packed schedule in 2021 as they will be continuously playing to compensate for the break in the cricketing activities in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Speaking about the same, Shastri said that India has a good bench strength to accommodate across all formats and will not take any series lightly throughout the year.

“As far as this team goes, this team takes pride in its performance. we will take it one step at a time. Every series is important. Every format is important. And we have got the volume of players, we have the bench strength to accommodate across all formats. So there will be the hunger to perform,” Shastri concluded.