While England is scheduled to host powerhouse India in a five-match Test series beginning from 4 August, their star all-rounder Ben Stokes decided to take an indefinite break from the sport due to mental health issues.
As everyone across the globe supported the cricketer in his decision to put his mental health first and lauded him for taking this step, the former England skipper Michael Vaughan talked about Stokes’ break being a ‘wake-up call’ for everyone.
“If Ben is struggling, then potentially many others will be too. When you see someone like Ben, who we know is mentally tough and has the ability he has to produce under the utmost pressure on the cricketing stage, it's a wake-up call for us all,” Vaughan said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
After the outbreak of COVID-19, the whole world was put into lockdown and even though the cricket matches were being held after some time, the cricketers were constantly in bio-bubbles which according to the Englishman they are not trained to live in.
Saba Karim picks his Team India squad for T20 World Cup 2021; leaves out star batsman
“We have to study the last 18 months, and realize that these cricketers are being put in circumstances which they are not trained for, like being locked away continuously in a bubble,” the right-hand batsman said.
“The Test team got back into a bubble today for the first two Tests against India, where they'll be restricted again to a hotel and a cricket ground, and not be able to go out and do normal things. There will be many out there thinking they're cricketers, and that's what they're paid to do. But it's such a time-consuming sport where your mind is being challenged all the time,” he added.
As far as England is concerned, they will be getting ready for the upcoming five-Test matches against Virat Kohli and Co. which will also be marking the beginning of the 2021-2023 cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC).
(With BBC Inputs)