Abu Dhabi: India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli said life in a bio-bubble is very tough as players have to follow the COVID-19 protocol strictly in a repetitive manner. Kohli is currently part of the 2020 Indian Premier League bio-bubble, and he along with other Indian cricketers will fly to Australia just two days after the 2020 IPL final.
After serving 14 days of mandatory quarantine after landing in Sydney, India's series will start on November 27 with the first ODI of three-match series and the tour ends in February, which means a majority of the players would have been part of the bio-bubble culture for a lengthy period.
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Ahead of Friday's Eliminator between RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kohli said that administrators of the game must think about the length of series for the well-being of players. "It's repetitive, it's not as tough when the group of guys is amazing, which we have. Everyone part of that bio-bubble is really nice, the vibe has been so good. That's precisely why we've enjoyed playing together, just enjoyed our time in the bubble as well, but it does get difficult at times because it is repetitive.
"These things will have to be considered. Like what length of the tournament or series one is going to play and what impact it will have on players mentally to stay in a similar environment for 80 days and not do anything different. Or have space to just go and see family or small things like that. These things have to be thought about seriously. At the end of the day, you want the players to be in the best state mentally, based on how they're feeling. Those conversations should take place regularly," Kohli said.
Playing for so long while staying in the bio-bubble, which doesn't allow players to get involved in any other off-field activities, can especially be challenging for multi-format players.
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Jofra Archer, who had to spend 87 days in bio bubbles during the English summer for England's home series against West Indies and Pakistan and joined the IPL soon after, had also raised his concern on spending a long time in bio-bubbles. Archer also said that he was planning to get a calendar to mark his days, so he gets the feeling that things moving faster in bio-bubble.
"I'll tell you, it has been mentally challenging...I think it is going to be rarer going home or being normal again. Here has become the new norm. We'll just have to adjust again when we get some time off. The time I spend bowling with the white ball is a lot less than in Test cricket. You can't run in the whole day. It is actually impossible to run in the whole day bowling at 90mph. If you can show me someone who does it then fair play. I've not seen any bowler who bowls 90mph do it for a whole day," Archer had said, adding he wasn't sure how many bio-bubbles he had left in him.
