Team India Requests For A Yoga Trainer And Sports Psychologist For Australian Tour

The Indian cricket team is all set to tour Australia for a full-fledged series which will consist of six limited-overs Internationals (3 ODIs + 3 T20Is) followed by the all-important four-match Test series.

Cricket Australia finally got the nod from the New South Wales government for the mandatory quarantine that the visiting Indians will undergo before the commencement of the series.

The Virat Kohli-led side will undergo 14-day isolation in Sydney, where they will be allowed to practice after a week.

The series will be played under strict bio-security protocols and given the length of time that the players have to spend in such stringent conditions, the BCCI had requested CA to allow the Indians to travel with their families, a move that has reportedly been denied by the latter.

Also Read- BCCI Requests Cricket Australia To Allow Indian Players To Travel With Their Families

Team India will be in Australia for almost 3 months

Now that the request to take family members denied, the Indian team-management has placed a request with the BCCI to take a sports psychologist and a yoga trainer with them Down Under, a request that is likely to be accepted by CA.

As far as the sports psychologist is concerned, the request has been made by the support-staff after several players, who are currently a part of the bio-bubble, expressed their grievances to the BCCI.
Yes, it (psychologist on tour) certainly helps,.

“If an organisation decides to take a psychologist and says it’s important, that’s sending the right message. Players can approach him/her and speak about what he is feeling without the fear of wondering whether he will be perceived as weak and so on, “Divya Jain, Head of Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare, was quoted a saying by The New Indian Express.

“One in five go through some form of mental health problems and statistics are the same for athletes. Living in a bubble can be challenging. You can feel isolated at times, there can be a certain amount of distress associated with it,” she added.

As far as the itinerary is concerned, the series will start with the ODI and T20I rubber in Sydney and Canberra, followed by the Test series, which will take place at Adelaide [Pink Ball Test, 17-21 December], Melbourne [Boxing Day Test], Sydney [January 07-11] and Brisbane [January 15-19].