Part of the Star Sports commentary team for the next Indian Premier League (IPL), Pathan and other members of the IPL The streaming gear is part of a special bio-bubble of its own, a prerequisite for sports since action resumed in the Covid era after the lockdown. While it gave Pathan time to catch up on some web series and online books, he also put himself in the shoes of IPL players, determining what kinds of mental challenges they must face in a similar environment in the Emirates.
The 2020 IPL moved to the United Arab Emirates amid the terrible pandemic in India and will be played from September 19 to November 10 in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. But unlike the glitzy affair the T20 league is used to, its regular festivities and hustle and bustle have been cut down considerably to keep the virus at bay.
Quarantine from a few days before we start receiving feedback from ipl, but who cares about this view? # beautiful… https://t.co/cXFjf4EhRx
– Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) 1599572461000
With a room-floor-room routine that all eight teams must follow for two months, Pathan believes it presents different challenges that players have never faced before, but at the same time return to Cricket it is the biggest incentive anyone associated with the IPL can get.
So while it will be different and difficult, Pathan believes that fearing the virus is not an option for players with the best immune systems and fitness to protect it.
Speaking of how things can turn out on the field, Pathan shares his two cents on how he feels the action will unfold starting this Saturday.
In an interview with Timesofindia.com, the T20 World Cup winner talks about how the defending champions Mumbai Indians may miss their own turf, while bowlers must come prepared to face an intrepid Mahendra Singh Dhoni of yesteryear, even as the Super Kings of Chennai tries to fill the void created by the absence of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh, and more.
IPL 2020: FULL SCHEDULE OF THE LEAGUE STAGE
Excerpts …
We saw some pictures of you in quarantine …
Yes. Just waiting for it to finish and we start our work.
It’s a different start to work these days for cricketers and broadcast team members, like you as a commentator …
I never expected anything like this before and I wish and pray for the whole world, not just me, that we will never witness something like this again because it is a unique world right now, very extraordinary times, and obviously an extraordinary time requires extraordinary measures. . Star (network) has been doing everything in terms of taking all the precautions, doing all the testing, etc. It has been a different experience so far. I can’t wait to get work started and I can’t wait to get back to the studio and start doing the live matches and commentary.
But just talking about this experience of staying in the hotel room, it is very different from staying at home because at home you have the luxury of open spaces … there is the luxury of moving around the house. It’s not like that here, but obviously we all have to follow the protocols and wait. (I’m) trying to keep busy reading, watching series (online web), making video calls and everything.
Hearing that makes one wonder what the state of mind will be for players who would be in a similar biosecure environment, where they cannot move apart during training. So there is also a mental battle that they have to fight …
It will be the biggest challenge for IPL cricketers; but they will be very, very happy, even though it is a mental challenge in which they will not have the comfort of their family. Most of the team members are not with their family, so you are going to be out of your comfort zone, because when you are playing IPL every year (under normal circumstances), you have a lot of friends coming in, you get out easily. , you are basically free after games, practices or team meetings are over. But this time it will just be playing cricket, going back to your bio-bubble and going back to the ground again. From what I’ve talked to some of the cricketers, they feel much more relaxed on the ground than they do in the hotel.
It’s very different. If you perform well in a match, then everything is rosy, but when you are not, you have to go back to your confined place, which is your bubble, and you have to fight that during those two months in the IPL. It is a great challenge for them, more mentally than physically … One could spend time with the family once back in the hotel after a bad performance in a game and feel comforted; but this time it’s the opposite. Players will feel more comfortable on the ground with team members.
So do you think the key to performing well at this IPL will be not being afraid of the virus?
You can’t help that, right? But athletes in general are healthier, their hearts are much stronger, their lungs are much stronger. That is why the emphasis on fitness has been present around the world. So cricketers have that advantage. Once you have that advantage, you will be a little stronger both mentally and physically. Many people might think that this (fear of the virus) could be a factor. It will be a factor. Each individual cricketer behaves and thinks differently. So it will depend on the individual how they go through this.
(Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer during a yoga session at the hotel in UAE)
I think the most important role will be played by the support staff: the coaches, the coaches, the physical therapists. They will have to deal with the mental part of the cricketer much more than the other IPLs (seasons in the past). This is not the IPL where you just think about how they are performing or not and if their confidence goes up or down, you have to manage it. No, this time it’s not just about that. You need to add to that. Are you getting comfortable with all this bubble? Are you comfortable being away from family, even if you are comfortable with the food you eat every day? That is the additional responsibility of the support staff.
But as for the question you asked, the challenge to realize (is related to fear of) the virus or not, I don’t think so because they are already very, very strong. Once available, you must give your 100 percent when you are on the field.
Going back to the real thing, the cricket. Do you think it will be the number five title for Mumbai or do you think Chennai will fight back and tie at four titles each or will some other team take the title?
Obviously, you can never get Mumbai Indians out of an IPL, wherever you play, but not playing in Mumbai, that’s a disadvantage for them.
About CSKA lot of people talk about the age (of their players), a lot of people talk about their physical form and many things every year. That’s a question every year and then they come in and go to the playoffs. Obviously not having two (main) players, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina, will have a huge impact. Your performance (performance) will depend on how you fill those two important positions. They have quite a few game winners and that’s what a team wants. They have more than two off-roaders in the game eleven, which makes a team very, very successful. Any T20 team needs at least two quality SUVs. They have (Ravindra) Jadeja and (Dwayne) Bravo for that. Bravo played the CPL and Jadeja is a spinner, so it won’t take long to get back on track.
(CSK will not feature Raina and Harbhajan, while Dhoni will be seen playing for the first time since WC 2019)
Continuing with CSK, Dhoni has announced his retirement and will enter the IPL without any baggage like trying to make a comeback from India etc. Do you think that makes it more dangerous?
All bowlers, please be careful! Be careful when bowling against Mahendra Singh Dhoni. We could see the Dhoni we saw before he became the captain (of India). Before becoming captain, he did not have that additional responsibility, so he used to play freely. As I say in Hindi, “Woh bebaak hoke khelega (he will play without inhibitions)”. If that happens, the players will lose control. So it is very difficult for all bowlers to face Dhoni. Don’t look at his age, don’t look at how long he hasn’t played cricket in so long. Don’t look at all those things. He will be the player to watch out for this season and I’m also pretty sure we could see Dhoni hitting the bowlers and playing freely, just like he used to do before he became captain. I totally hope that.
Lastly Irfan, the slow and low slopes of the UAE will be a big factor and teams with more spin options will have a bigger impact this season. Do you agree?
The definitely slow terrains as the tournament progresses, but it also depends on many factors. How much time to prepare (the ground crew) have, how many pitches are they using, what kind of pitches are they throwing at the start, if they are putting more grass at the beginning of the tournament or not. So everything will depend on that. There is an expectation that it will be a slow track, many spinners will come into play; But the team whose hitting is very well equipped against spinners, that team will have a very good chance of being in the top four (playoffs).
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