India going to need a huge squad to counter the bubble fatigue: Ian Chappell


The Indian team began their international campaign last month during the limited-overs series against Australia. They played at the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE before this where they first came across the concept of bio-bubble.
Many players and cricket experts have earlier talked about the mental fatigue caused to the athletes due to this bubble. Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell too joined this list to empathise with the visiting side ahead of the Australia-India Test series. The cricketer-turned commentator reckoned that Virat Kohli’s men would need a massive squad to counter the bubble exhaustion.
“I have never experienced anything like this, and I am not surprised some players have started to talk about bubble fatigue. We had a couple of England players who have already pulled out of the BBL for that reason. If you look at what India has got coming up, they are going to need a huge squad of players. I am sure the bubble fatigue is going to kick in so my sympathies with modern players having to do this,” Chappell told reporters in a show organised by Ray Events.
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“You are going to have situations like you got in South Africa. I am not surprised that England players have got very nervous and said we are out of here. We are in this situation where it is going to be very fluid. And I think all teams are going to need a big squad of players, not just because you got to isolate some but because there is going to be this mental fatigue of being stuck in a bubble,” Chappell added.
At least you are playing and not sitting at home: Mohammed Azharuddin

Former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin agreed to what Chappell said during the show. He empathised with the players but said that nothing could be done in the pandemic situation. The 57-year old also appreciated the various cricket boards to carry on with the game despite such difficult times.
“It is a pandemic situation where nothing can be done because whatever the rules are they have to follow. If you see, some Pakistan players in New Zealand, eight or nine players got infected. Don’t know what happened even with the bubble. Bad situation for everybody. We never experienced this. The situation is such that we have to follow it in a difficult time. At least, you are playing, better than sitting at home and not playing at all. The boards have taken a good initiative to carry on with the game and with the bubble, it has succeeded. Hopefully, there could be incidents but it is very personal,” said Azharuddin.
Sachin Arora
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