Very few meals that Indian athletes have had have ever set off such an intensive discussion
On the face of it, what some Indian cricketers in Australia did by stepping out for a meal was not a big deal. After adhering to Australia’s quarantine norms, they were fully within their rights to step out for a spread. The question is whether an overenthusiastic Indian fan breached their “bubble” by hugging one of the players, as he claimed on the social media. Of course, since that breach we have seen clarifications and what not and the “supposed” breach of the bubble has become part of the “mind games” that are a feature of any Australian tour. And, of course, there are those in India who are more upset about what the cricketers were eating rather than anything else. However, this incident also highlights something else altogether and that is more worrying than what these sportsmen ate or did not eat. The problem with any top-level athletes is that they are superstars. Indian Test players are no exception and, given that the Indian diaspora loves their cricketers, they will be mobbed, hugged or kissed wherever they go. Until the Coronavirus upended our lives and particularly that of global athletes, that was not a problem. Now, however, all sportspersons — particularly superstars like Indian cricketers — will have to lead very ascetic lives, much like Lewis Hamilton did during the 2020 Formula 1 season.
That is not going to be an easy task for anyone, particularly for a top-level sport star. But this is a decision that they have to take for themselves, even if they have the ability to go out like the quartet of Indian cricketers in Australia: How much do they want to push the limits and, more importantly, can they push the limits at a time when everybody and their uncle has a smartphone? It is almost certain that in the coming months, a top-level athlete will get caught in a scandal, where they breached the bubble by spending the night with someone or the other. While that was par for the course before everything went down, it is not the right thing today. It is not easy staying isolated with only your team and support staff for company, particularly in a strange land. Modern communication technologies do make things easier but, make no mistake, staying for days in a strange hotel room is not a great life, no matter how good the monetary compensation. Sports authorities — and in the case of India, a quick aside where we wish Sourav Ganguly a quick recovery from his cardiac issues — have to dedicate time and effort to soothe the mental health issues that isolation will bring on.
