Former India batsman Rahul Dravid, who is now the director at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, said that there is bound to be lingering doubt, fear and hesitation when cricketers return to their routine amidst the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus.
Speaking at a Facebook Live show, titled Staying Ahead of the Curve – The Power of Trust, alongside Olympic gold medal-winning shooter Abhinav Bindra and former world No.1 badminton player Prakash Padukone, Dravid said that it will be a challenge for athletes to trust their bodies’ ability to move naturally after an elongated break.
“For a short period, there may be a sense of doubt or fear about certain things,” Dravid said. “I am sure there will be a certain hesitancy when we get back in, also there will be certain hesitancy in terms of people.
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“Personally, I don’t see that (the Covid-enforced break) as a huge problem. I don’t think that once elite sportspersons get on the field, get to do what they really love, they will have a problem.
“One of the challenges for a lot of sportspersons will be to trust their bodies after two or three months of not playing sports or movements that are associated with sports.
“Match fitness, game fitness… I think that will take a little bit of time before people can confidently trust themselves and go all out. And that needs to be factored in, to give athletes enough time to be able to regain match fitness.”
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On the flip side, Dravid said that the break, a privilege rarely afforded in modern day international cricket, could actually elongate a few careers by giving athletes the opportunity to heal up their bodies and once again ready themselves for the long haul.
“I have been telling a lot of the cricketers to see it as an opportunity to rest the body, rest the mind, you will never get that opportunity, never get that chance,” he said. “Think about it, if you use these two months well, three months well, you could elongate your career by two or three years at the back end which you might not have if you didn’t have this kind of break.”
