The Indian cricketers needed this break but they hate to admit it

But this is one side of the argument, a human - or rather a biased - one, you can call it. There has also been certain good that has emerged out of this Covid-19 outbreak. New Delhi, for instance, clocked an AQI (Air Quality Index) of 72 at 6:47 am on Thursday, which is considered ‘satisfactory’. The complete eradication of human beings from the streets has meant that the surroundings have naturally healed and have become indistinguishable from the same place some six months ago, which, if you remember, had AQI close to 500 and was considered ‘hazardous’.

That is one way to ensure that they don’t take to the field and stay inside their homes. The BCCI, with their scheduling, certainly did not manage to do that. Let’s get one thing straight, though. By no means is this an ideal situation - close to 500,000 people have been affected globally and the world is currently overseeing its worst crisis since World War II, more than 80 years ago. But there is not a single player in that Indian dressing room who can and will deny the simple fact that they so badly needed this break. They might not openly embrace it, for circumstances are far from ideal, but that is the bitter truth - the Indian players needed this break.

What’s more flabbergasting, if anything, is that the team had already set off to play a three-match ODI series against South Africa at home and were mentally bracing themselves to slog it out for two months in the IPL before they were strapped to the comforts of their homes by the Covid-19 virus outbreak. How the people in charge let this happen in the first place and how this is even humanely acceptable is a question that needs to be raised. 

The good thing that has come out of this (out)break is that it gives everyone the time to reflect on the monstrosity that has been inflicted on some of these players. Had it never been for this, the show would have gone on, whilst the players bleed more and more to the point that they eventually collapse, literally having nothing to offer from their end. Which is exactly as to why this is a much, much-needed rest for them. 

Then comes Rishabh Pant. At one point, it looked like sending him on a two-month vacation and making him completely forget about the game was the only feasible way of making him re-discover his form and survive in this sport. Looks like the Cricketing Gods have had their own say on the matter, witnessing how terribly the poor chap was mismanaged. This long lay-off also enables the likes of Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan and Deepak Chahar to completely recover from their injuries, while it also stops the management from running Bumrah to the ground, which they were well on their way to doing before the crisis broke out.  

They say that you don’t have to make the most out of a global pandemic, but in India’s case, well, they have no choice but to utilize this period, for everyone knows that they are going back to being the machines they were when normalcy resumes. That it came down to a worldwide crisis to give the players the rest they deserve is a shame, but they will and should take it, nevertheless.