Many sports events were greatly affected by the COVID pandemic this year. Leagues like the EPL, the NBA, the NCAA, and even the Indian Premier League have all been canceled or postponed and many people were affected by this, including many athletes.
A few months after the various lockdowns from different parts of the world, the sports scene is making a comeback. Since June, many sports events have resumed like the EPL and the NBA. In August, it was announced that the IPL won’t be canceled this year. Instead, it will be moved to September 19 to November 10. This is different from when it is usually held, which is from April to May.
Cricket has been one of the most followed sports worldwide and the IPL and the World Cup is the most popular cricket leagues. Since March of this year, there has been a scarcity in cricket matches and this made cricket fans miss the action. Many people are also wagering on this sport and it’s great to know that cricket leagues are still pushing through with their seasons this year. For punters, luckily, they can just visit an online live cricket betting site to place their bets to be sure that they are still able to follow physical distancing in this pandemic.
While fans are very excited to watch the IPL and other cricket leagues before the year ends, it’s no secret that many cricketers are still greatly affected by everything that’s happening. For some, it may even be worrying for them to return to the field. Some, however, had a lot of realisations in the last few months.
Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah was recently speaking with Times of India about how the last few months have been for him. He said: “It’s been a very normal last few months because I’m not the kind of guy who likes to socialise much anyway. I was very happy because I had just shifted to my new house.
“Ever since 2013, I never got this kind of time to spend with my family, so you can imagine what a treat these months were. I got to spend quality time in my new house, spend time with my mom,” the athlete said.
He also said that he still gets to train because he has a personal gym set up. He has a personal gym and necessary training equipment to be able to keep doing his routine. He said that what was only missing was the ground access and he had to wait until that opened.
“Initially, as soon as the series against South Africa got called off, I took a break for probably around 15-20 days. [I] did nothing. Then, I gradually returned to my routine workouts at home, slowly started working on my body,” he said.
“One of the things I realised was this would be the best time for me to work on aspects that need time and space – also the mental aspect. I thought of ways in which I could make the best of this opportunity. I realised I wouldn’t get a time like this again.”
India’s top-order Jemimah Rodrigues was also interviewed by IANS recently about coming back to the World Cup. She said: “It’s never easy coming back after the World Cup. We were in Australia for more than a month and a half. Also, losing the World Cup was not easy, both mentally and emotionally.
“You need some time to recover and get back into the groove. So, the lockdown has been a blessing in disguise to get back to that emotional space that we normally like to be in. However, the break has been there for too long. We can’t just wait to get back on to the field and play cricket.”
She also talked about the lessons she learned in the past few months. Jemimah said, “I realised how blessed we are. We travel to places and are playing cricket. But all of a sudden, everything came to a halt and I was able to spend some time with myself and with my family.
“I realised life is more than just cricket. Cricket is a great sport and I love playing it and once I get back to the field, I will surely give my 100%. But cricket is just a part of my life. There are many more things in my life such as family, friends which are equally important.
“During the lockdown, I realised so many people are struggling to get their basic needs fulfilled. However, I was blessed to have a house, a family to be my side to take care of me, had food to eat, and water to drink — small-small things that we often take for granted,” she explained.
Featured image credit: Bahnfrend / CC BY-SA.
