Navdeep Saini talked about his routine in Coronavirus lockdown.
“Since Unlock 1 (which the government announced on May 31 after a nationwide lockdown since late March), I have regularly visited the local stadium for my running drills. I am a pacer and running is important for my leg strength and rhythm. There was no cricket but my training did not stop. I am lucky that my father has a farm here which is big and I could get enough space for the exercises that I usually do,” Saini told Hindustan Times.
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Saini had an impressive outing for India with the white-ball on the tour of New Zealand, where he also surprised everyone with his prowess with the willow. Everything was going well as he was preparing for the South Africa series at home and then the IPL, but the Coronavirus pandemic poured water over his plans.
“I am a professional cricketer. Like people do different kinds of job, my job is to play cricket for which I get paid. I am lucky to have that opportunity. Now, if suddenly one is told that he has to stop doing his job, somewhere it does affect mentally. I was living my dream, playing for India all over the world and out of nowhere, here is a situation where I can’t even go out of my house,” Saini said.
“Can I complain? People from all walks of life are facing the same situation. So, there is no point whining. It is better that I maintain my focus, follow the process and adjust to the situation,” he said about being locked inside for more than three months due to the nationwide lockdown that started in March.
Saini in IPL 2019, broke Jofra Archer’s record for the fastest delivery bowled. Archer sent down a 152.60 kmph thunderbolt, while Saini bowled two deliveries that clocked 152.85 kmph and 152.83 kmph.
Talking about his training regimen during the lockdown, Saini explained, “I have ensured that I take things slowly and not get injured. I had a gym set up in my house during the lockdown. I practiced to keep my reflexes intact. Whenever matches resume, the jump will not be too steep, I believe, for me. I am still not going full tilt at the nets. It’s a gradual process.”
Navdeep Saini admits missing being in action, reveals his training methods amid COVID-19 lockdown
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the ICC had to bring in some regulations in accordance to keep the players and officials safe from the virus, which meant a ban on using saliva for shining the balls.
Saini also opined on the same and said, “It does affect the shine of the ball. You could see that in the first Test between West Indies and England. If you ban an old method there will be disadvantages, but the advantage is that I have time to adjust. This is a new normal for all professions, same is with ours.”
Saini had burst onto the international scene with a Man of the Match performance against West Indies in a T20I in Florida, USA. “India won the game and I had a role to play in that. I was even awarded the Man of the Match. In my debut match, winning the best player’s award was special, “Saini said, who picked 3/17 in 4 overs.