England pacer Mark Wood on Friday (February 19) opened up about his decision to opt out of the IPL 2021, saying he prioritised family and wanted to be available for his country for the upcoming assignment.
Wood pulled out of the IPL 2021 Player Auction just before the event on Thursday (February 18).
He was among the eight overseas players, who were slotted in the highest base price of INR 2 crore.
"Couple of things really. First and foremost it was my family. I'm going to spend six weeks here in India and it would have been another eight weeks on top of that so that's 14 weeks. We're in a strange situation with Covid and we can't see our families while we're with England like we usually do and I wanted to be able to switch off, go home and recharge for the second reason which of course is being ready for England," Wood said in a virtual press conference, as quoted by ANI.
"I'm trying to prioritise that and be ready for later on in the year when we've got loads of cricket going on. I don't want my body to fail me or be a bit bruised mentally or physically for the back end of the year when it's the World Cup and ashes and the summer when it's a big series against India at home. So I wanted to be ready and available and have some family time as well because there is a lot of time away from home this year," he added.
Wood also cited the positives of playing in the IPL bearing in mind the T20 World Cup later this year.
"Obviously there have been big names who went for big money and it's great for them. It's life-changing money which is why it was such a difficult decision for me. The plus side is you're not just going for money reasons. You will improve hopefully going into the World T20 and improve your skills and I've got a bit of unfinished business with the IPL because I only played one game for Chennai last time and I'd like another crack at some point," he said.
"But I just didn't think the time was right and ultimately that was my decision. Everybody makes their own decision, each player, but for me, it was about prioritising my family and England at the minute," he further remarked.
Meanwhile, Wood and wicketkeeper batsman Jonny Bairstow have joined England's squad ahead of the third Test against India.
On Tuesday (February 16), India levelled the four-match Test series 1-1 against England after an emphatic 317-run win in the second Test at Chepauk.
The third Test will be played in Ahmedabad from February 24 and it will be a day-night affair.
