Kohli and Shastri: Two India Squads Playing At The Same Time

Two India squads traveling to different places at the same time could become a norm in the mentally draining world of bio-bubbles. Those cricketers are forced to live amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hinted India captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday.

India captain Virat Kohli said two squads playing at the same time at different places could become a norm. Given the bio-bubble environment for players that affects their mental health.

While the Kohli-led side leaves for the WTC final against New Zealand and a five-Test series against hosts England. The second-string India squad will soon be picked for the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka in July. A bio-secure environment taking a toll on the players mentally. Kohli said they will be given breaks to recover from that and not just for workload management.

“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. Stay motivated and find the right kind of mental space,” Kohli said in the pre-departure press conference.

“You know just confined in one area and just doing the stuff. Day in day out when you’re dealing with high-pressure situations. So, this (two squads) will definitely become a norm for the future,” he added.

The Indian team had to quarantine for 14 days in Mumbai and will do a soft quarantine in the UK upon their arrival. Players around the world have spoken about the challenges of playing tournaments after tournaments in bio-bubbles.

“Apart from the workloads, the mental health side of things will also come into the picture big time because you don’t have an outlet at all,” said Kohli.

“In today’s day and age you literally go into the ground, come back to the room. You have no space where you can just disconnect from the game. And just go out for a walk or go out for a meal or a coffee and say, ‘okay, let me refresh myself. Let me just get away from the game a little bit.

“Let me just get away from the game a little bit so I think this is a huge factor that should not be neglected. Because as much hard work as we’ve done to create this team. You don’t want players falling out because of the mental pressures and not having the capacity or the space to express themselves.” Kohli endorsed players asking for breaks to address mental health issues.

“So I think there has to always be a channel over which the management has left it for players to approach them and tell them, ‘Look, I’m not feeling right in the head, and I just need a break and I just want to disconnect from the game’.