CHENNAI: Before the start of the Test series between England and West Indies, many were apprehensive about the bio bubble setup. But with the success of the new environment for cricketers, many believe that it can be replicated in India’s domestic cricket. Tamil Nadu chief coach D Vasu too is one among the voices. “The bio bubble is a good initiative.
Looks like it has worked. Safety of players is very important. The way both teams played, they looked secure and confident in going about their jobs. Mentally, it is important for a player to feel secure. Only then will body and mind work in tandem, and we can expect him to play to his potential. The new environment can be implemented in our country too.
“It will be great to have a bio-secure atmosphere for our players. I would prefer to have it first at a state training camp, see how it works, and then take it from there. Once you train in a particular environment, you will get a clear idea of how things work. We can then improve on it and take it to the inter-state level.” The series in England also saw bowlers adapt to the saliva ban.
West Indies skipper Jason Holder and pacer Shannon Gabriel still held their own despite this constraint. But Vasu feels that their Indian pace-bowling counterparts will require friendly surfaces for a more level playing field once the domestic season begins. “Conditions in England do help seam movement. You have to watch a couple of more matches in other conditions to judge whether sweat alone can help bowlers get purchase. In the current situation and the state of affairs with which we need to play, we must have tracks that have something for bowlers.
In places like Wayanad, Tiruppur and Coimbatore, the conditions are such that they will offer something to bowlers. We need to try and have matches there. We need to play wherever a bio-secure atmosphere is possible along with good tracks.” Though the lockdown hasn’t let them back to full-fledged training, Tamil Nadu’s players have been spending quality time to maintain their fitness. “All the boys are fit. With the season likely to start at the end of the year, we have enough time to prepare. We’re waiting for the state government to give permission so that the boys can slowly start practice.”