All the sporting activities have come to a grinding halt in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Most of the countries have been in total lockdown for more than a month now to contain the spread of this deadly virus. It has been over 50 days since any form of international cricket was last played.
No wonder, India opener Rohit Sharma feels batsmen will find it difficult to get into the groove post COVID-19 lockdown.
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"Batsmen will take at least one and a half months to find the sweet spot of their bats. The hand-eye co-ordination is also very important. It takes time to align perfectly, because you are facing bowlers who are bowling at 140 kph at the top level," he said in an interaction on a social media platform with pacer Mohammad Shami.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Indian cricketers have been spending time at home ever since the lockdown was imposed on March 24.
Before playing a competitive match, both batsmen and bowlers ought to train hard and work on specific skill-sets.
"Before any sort of cricket at the highest level, we need to have intense practice for at least one month to get our rhythm back. It has been a long time - more than three months - that we have touched our bats. It may take some more time since it doesn't seem the lockdown will be over any time soon," Rohit added.
The Indian limited-overs vice-captain also opined that the batsmen will face a greater challenge in comparison to the fast bowlers or spinners.
Despite being a paceman, Shami endorsed Rohit’s views and said: “Fast bowlers are doing their physical workouts during this lockdown period. We're running on the treadmill which is taking care of our lower body.”
"What we have to improve upon (when cricket resumes) is our hand skills. By that, I mean the wrist position, the backspin that we give. That can be managed in 10-15 days," he explained.
Shami is also hoping to get at least a month-long window for training before stepping on the field.
"There should be a training camp in Bangalore (at the National Cricket Academy) after the lockdown. I was talking to Ashish bhai (Ashish Nehra)… whenever the lockdown is over, we should start a training camp. Besides getting into the groove, we will get to know if anyone is suffering from an injury or any other problem," he said.
(With TOI inputs)