Ravi Shastri has special request for Sourav Ganguly on behalf of India after IPL 2021 ends

The India vs England 1st Test match went underway on Friday morning at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The series continues India’s hectic cricketing calendar, as they recently toured Australia for a full-fledged series for two months. Prior to the Australian tour, the players participated in the hectic Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where they remained under a strict bio-bubble in wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

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Ravi Shastri believes Indian players need a break from the game post IPL 2021

Indian head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli recently interacted with the Star Sports Network. During the interview, coach Shastri talked about India’s hectic cricketing schedule and the impact it has been having on the players. The former Indian all-rounder described the constant stay within the bio-secure bubbles as “mentally draining” for the cricketers.

Ravi Shastri said that the players will be requiring a break from the game at some point, as they have been playing non-stop cricket for months. He pleaded the Sourav Ganguly-led Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to give players a break for at least a couple of weeks after the conclusion of the IPL 2021 season. Shastri added that “these quarantine” times can be “mentally draining” and the players are still “humans at the end of it all”.

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Ravi Shastri’s comments came after India’s hectic tour of Australia, where as many as eight frontline Indian players (including KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah) sustained injuries at some point. Moreover, pacers like Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were not even part of the touring party as they succumbed to injuries during the IPL 2020 run in the UAE.

India vs England 1st Test and series updates

The ongoing India vs England Test series forms a part of the in]augural ICC World Test Championship. The two teams are currently competing against each other in a bid to secure a date with New Zealand in the final of the Championship. The India vs England 1st Test match is scheduled to be played up until February 9 in Chennai.

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England captain Joe Root won the toss and opted to bat first. At the time of publishing, the visitors reached 205-2 off 74 overs. Opener Dom Sibley (67*) and Root (94*) were batting at the crease. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, off-spinner R Ashwin was also among the wickets as he dismissed opener Rory Burns for 33.

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Image source: AP