Ace Indian cricketer Virat Kohli believes the length of the series amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic should be given serious thought as staying in a bio-bubble for long periods does affect the mental health of the players.
Kohli is currently leading Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 13 edition being held in the United Arab Emirates due to the Covid-19 situation in India. RCB will be taking SunRisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on Friday evening.
“It’s repetitive, it’s not as tough when the group of guys is amazing, which we have. Everyone part of that bio-bubble is really nice and the vibe has been so good. That’s precisely why we’ve enjoyed playing together, just enjoyed our time in the bubble as well, but it does get difficult at times because it is repetitive,” Kohli said while speaking to RCB TV.
“These things will have to be considered. Like what length of the tournament or series one is going to play and what impact it will have on players mentally to stay in a similar environment for 80 days and not do anything different. Or have space to just go and see family or small things like that. These things have to be thought about seriously,” he added.
Kohli, who turned 32 on Thursday, further said that these conversations should take place at regular intervals.
“At the end of the day, you want the players to be in the best state mentally, based on how they’re feeling,” the Indian skipper said.
Soon after the completion of IPL, the Indian team will be traveling to Australia for three ODIs, three T20Is and four Test matches to be played in a bio-secure environment from November 27 to January 15 next year.
