Kings XI Punjab's (KXIP) leading pacer Mohammad Shami feels grateful to his fortune for having training facilities available at his home during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown in India.
Shami believes the hard yards scaled in those months will hold him in really good stead now that he is in the last phase of fine-tuning preparations for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE, starting September 19.
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In an interview with ANI, the 30-year-old, however, mentioned that the six days of necessary quarantine period at his hotel room was made slightly more difficult because of his routine of training with intensity.
"Four months have been difficult for everyone, be it sportsman or a normal person. Thank god I had the facilities to do my own training," said Shami. "When we came here (UAE) and got quarantined, these six days felt more difficult than those four months because in those months I was training myself, helped the needy and was busy in activities."
"But in these six days, I have felt how difficult those four months must have been for people. Now it feels comfortable on the field."
"The training I have done (during lockdown) has helped now. The stiffness isn't there and it has felt more like I took a break for recovery. The body feels good and in rhythm. The normal flow is missing in some."
"Those who played in the Caribbean Premier League are looking in flow, but those who have been stuck indoors are looking a little stiff. Important to use the 25 to 30 days going into the tournament," he added.
Shami, though, is sympathetic to cricketers who couldn't do as much training as he did. "When you are habituated to running around 24x7, it is very difficult to stay at home, especially for those who are professionals and put cricket on top of the priority list. This then irritates you and makes you uncomfortable."
"But touchwood for me, I had a lot of activities to stay busy with. I spent a lot of time on the farm, worked closely with the workers, was busy doing my activities and training, the friends I have spoken to. I was thanking God that I was in a safe place," he said.
Shami said contrary to reports doing the rounds of players feeling scared since the news of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) members testing COVID-19 positive despite strict bio-security, they are actually quite relaxed and just focused on their skill-work.
"You guys are not here, so you are not able to see the training sessions. But one can see the hunger in the players. The intention to give their 100 per cent is visible. The players are giving their everything in training and nobody is willing to miss any activity."
"Everyone is looking really involved and the thing is that you are back to your real love (cricket). The guys have started to look in touch after the 5-6 days of training sessions that we have had and it looks like the boys want to give more than a 100 per cent on the ground," Shami added.
