How Much Is Too Much?

Packed schedules, constant travelling and the revenue-driven financial model of the Indian cricket board are increasingly putting the players at risk of fatigue, which might be detrimental for the game in the long run

- Jasvinder Sidhu

FOR OUTSIDERS, the lives of successful sportspersons appear enviable. The fans, often dazzled by the glamorous lifestyles and high living, elevate them to the status of demigods. Any youngster playing a sport dreams of emulating his favourite icons.

But, as the saying goes, all that glitters is not gold. From the outside, the life of the Virat Kohlis and Hardik Pandyas seems perfect, but get a little closer and all is not as it seems. For these men—as successful as they are despite their relatively young age—spend their days either training or playing in trying conditions. Then there is constant travel to deal with. Living out of a suitcase is more a norm than an exception for professional sportspersons. Though in modern sports there are teams of specialist support staff to take care of the needs of a professional sportsperson, the wear and tear that comes from constant playing ultimately takes its toll on the mind and body.

Just before the home Test series against Sri Lanka, Pandya, still only 24, requested the Indian cricket board to drop him for the first two matches. Expectedly, he invited criticism. After all, why would a young player who made his debut just a year earlier need rest?

The fact is that, rather than ridiculing Pandya’s decision to pull out, the Indian cricket fraternity should be thankful to him for putting the spotlight on an issue that everyone is aware of but chooses to brush under the carpet of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)—Indian cricketers are playing too much cricket, and it’s beginning to take a toll on them.