Ravi Shastri Calls For A 2 Week Break For Team India Post IPL 2021

Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has said the bio-bubbles amid hectic schedule can be pretty demanding and had urged the administrators to give the team a two-week break post the 2021 IPL before they embark on their next assignment.

Indian cricketers have been playing non-stop cricket since the start of the 13th season of the Indian Premier League in the UAE last September.

Post the IPL, the Men in Blue travelled Down Under for a gruelling two months tour which included six white-ball internationals (3 ODIs + 3 T20Is) and four Tests. The players got just a week-long break post the Australian tour before they embarked on a six-day quarantine leading into the home series against England.

The England series consists of four Tests, five T20Is and three One-day Internationals following which the cricketers straight into the IPL.

After the IPL, provided they qualify, India will play the ICC Test Championship final at Lord’s which is scheduled to take place between June 18-22. India is also slated to tour Sri Lanka for a white-ball assignment in July before they travel to England for a five-match Test series.

The Virat Kohli-led unit might play a few T20I bilateral rubbers as part of their preparation for the T20 World Cup in October, post which they will host New Zealand for a 2-match Test series before travelling to South Africa for a full tour at the end of the year.

“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

Shastri also added that the team considers every series and every format equally important and that they have a good enough bench-strength which will allow them to rotate their key players.

“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 added.

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