From cancelled Olympics in Japan to no spectators at IPL 13 that shifted to UAE to the T20 World Cup being cancelled and to scrapped Wimbledon Championship, the year has been a mixed bag for sports. It brought the much needed break for many to practice for the coming games in 2021, while for others it spelt doom since they would fail to meet the eligibility criteria for next year
I was in Australia covering the ICC women’s T20 World Cup when we were beginning to realise an alarming situation emerging globally. The rise in the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide and a discussion regarding the impact that it could create in India. As the numbers grew and the questions of its emergence started gaining attention, it seemed more a probable situation that the world may head towards a lockdown mode. It was only a matter of time that the day was nearing when we might not know when we would even be able to step out of our house.
A day became a week and then months started getting counted as more and more postponement of events, daily activities stared happening. For most sports people the reality of having to play the waiting game started the moment the first event got pushed forward to a later unidentified date. The Olympics was the biggest draw.
Here is a insight on how these delays, postponements would have worked for different sports players. An icon cricket player like MS Dhoni; who the world could have seen in action playing for India at the ICC T20 world cup decided to hang his India shirt and focus only on franchise cricket. He had already retired from Test cricket and with no World Cup events lined up after 2020 for men’s cricket, it might have been the last or second last opportunity to see him in action in India blues.
Double Olympic Gold medallist and five-time world champion Lin Dan announced his retirement after the decision of the Olympics getting pushed over to the next year came. It may be argued that Lin Dan being of the sports greats was not getting younger and a call at the age of 36 was maybe the right one. But, would that announcement be made had the Olympics been held on time. Possibly no! Maybe after the Olympics.
Momentum is important for sports people. You train to be in the right rhythm, obtain the right fitness and skill level. And this training carries you through the tournament and provides you the right momentum to peak towards your optimum performance. Not too early, never too late. It is never easy to find the timing right and it depends on a lot of other factors as well, but as a sports person you work towards finding that right balance.
It is often said that a sports person peaks when he/she is around their 30’s. Largely cause as a player; you tend to understand your game better. One understands the demands of the professional sport more and the skill levels required to deal with high pressure situations. Once you sail through the phase you are able to lengthen your high-performance graph. In cricket — the ability to pick the ball early, judge its trajectory and speed helps in reducing the individual’s reaction time. This requires constant training of mind and skills along with regular competition to be able to judge the performance. If there is any lag, an imbalance, there can be a dip in the performance. In some cases, you might even struggle to find the right balance altogether after a hiatus.
It can affect a young high-performance athlete too. A break in the momentum can have an adverse effect in the overall performance. You might be running well and peaking nicely towards your upcoming race. But a break like this where there is no surety of the next competitive tournament can lead you to tread in unknown territory. The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India was to be played in November, 2020. It got cancelled. This cancelation took away the opportunity of many players who may not get a chance to play at all in this tournament.
Either the tournament might not be held until next year or even if later, a lot of players will not remain eligible to play in the age group event. The inaugural ICC U19 women’s cricket World Cup that is scheduled to be held in 2021 will also be pushed to a later date. The fate of the young players hangs in a balance trying to remain eligible and probable for selections.
With the Indian cricket board — BCCI ensuring the smooth conduct of Indian Premier League in the UAE, it has provided a fillip to sports to be conducted with bio- bubbles and secure safety standards. It is a tough standard but certainly a way forward. Yes, there were no crowds allowed into the stadiums during the IPL which is rare for a competitive sport but with the Australian government allowing spectators during the India cricket teams tour of Australia, it is a step towards restoring normalcy.
It is not an easy life inside a bio bubble. Living within the parameters, interacting with the same set of people and not being allowed to step away from the same scenery for days can be mentally challenging too. And especially if you are away from family. With the travel restrictions and regulations, one is always away from home.
The one silver lining in having a long break with no sports activity happening is that you can take a break from travel and spend time with yourself and work on stuff that has been on the back burner. Nurse a recurring injury, rest to recover well from ailments, build muscle strength and work on agility. There is always scope for more in the sporting life of a sports person.
This year with all the restrictions and impacts has been a mixed bag. It has been very challenging for the human race to survive yet given opportunities to fight the scenario all together.
Maybe it was good too — to value our lives a bit more. To value the things that we already have and what we aspire for. The impact has been felt by all. For some it might have been more than others. For how long it continues we are still unsure but as sports people we always look to start each day with the same zeal and enthusiasm.
The writer is former Captain and commentator