Suresh Raina, one of the highest run-getters in the IPL, feels that the upcoming 13th edition of the league, taking place in UAE due to the COVID-19 situation in India, will pose a lot of new challenges for the players.
He also felt that clarity of thought will be the one thing that will help them deal with the new challenges.
“This IPL would be very interesting to see how the players are thinking. You are playing in different circumstances and you have a lot of protocol from ICC and at the same time you are going to go through (Covid-19) tests every two-three weeks,” Raina said in a webinar after being named as the global brand ambassador for WTF Sports app.
As per BCCI’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the Indian players and support staff will have to return negative for Covid-19 at least five times before they start training in the UAE and subsequently will be tested every fifth day during the IPL.
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“So, I would say coming out from all those tests you need to be clear with your head on what you are going to do on the field because, at the end of the day when you are playing a sport, you need to enjoy the game,” Raina said.
Raina mentioned that he was eagerly waiting for the tournament to start after being stuck at home since March.
“In this pandemic, a lot of challenges have happened (for the players) and fitness is the key. Luckily, we are going early to the UAE. I believe, this all tests will be done before the IPL and we will be in a good frame of mind because we all are sitting at home from the last five months and it will be interesting to see how we fare on the field,” he said.
“Everyone is going to enjoy the game and when you will enjoy the game you will have the best sporting event. I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
The CSK vice-captain also said that UAE is a beautiful place to host the IPL, given the hassle-free logistics between venues.
“The best thing in Dubai is that you don’t have logistical problems. It is 45 minutes from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. You go from there (Dubai) to Sharjah, it’s 40 mins. In a way, we will have more rest and more time to plan our things and we know how to overcome the challenge,” said Raina, who has played 193 IPL games and amassed 5386 runs.
(PTI inputs)
