“Senior Indian guys don’t like being restricted” – MI fielding coach James Pamment on his IPL 2021 experiences amid the pandemic

“Senior Indian guys don’t like being restricted” – MI fielding coach James Pamment on his IPL 2021 experiences amid the pandemic

James Pamment (Credits - Mumbai Indians)

With the COVID-19 hit Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) having been suspended and most of the players and staff back home, there have been experiences that are being shared. The latest to do so is Mumbai Indians’ (MI) fielding coach James Pamment who spoke of how despite the fact that the senior Indian players did not like to be restricted amid the bio-bubbles, the overall atmosphere felt safe.

Pamment was a part of the first batch of New Zealand players who reached home on Saturday. He was accompanied by the likes of Trent Boult, Jimmy Neesham, Finn Allen and Scott Kuggeleijn. The second batch of New Zealand players arrived on Sunday consisting of the likes of Brendon McCullum, Lockie Ferguson, Stephen Fleming and New Zealanders in the commentary panel.

James Pamment on his IPL 2021 experiences

Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians

Upon his arrival in Auckland, James Pamment spoke to stuff.co.nz and revealed as to how the senior Indians did not like ‘being restricted’. “Some of the senior Indian guys don’t like being restricted and told what to do, but we did feel safe – at no point did we feel the bubble would be compromised, the challenge was the travel,” Pamment said.

“But we started to get Indian guys in our environment whose families were very sick. There were bereavements as well and we were taking a bit of a cue from those guys who were saying ‘no, we want to carry on’ and the messages were coming back that this is a good distraction. And it is an Indian league, run by Indian people for the Indian audience in the main and we’re just fortunate to be there to be providing our professional services,” he added.

Speaking of the atmosphere in the dressing room when the COVID-19 cases began to come up, he said, “It was when cases started to come with the teams. Chennai announced their cases and we’d played Chennai at the weekend, so straight away, the dynamic changed. I certainly noticed from within my group, and I’d spend most of my time with the Kiwis and the Aussies, their mindset had changed. They were a little more fearful, a little more apprehensive.”

Pamment concluded saying that he wasn’t sure if the remainder of the IPL 2021 season will be able to be held this year amid the tight international schedule.

Also Read: England players might not feature if IPL 2021 resumes, says Ashley Giles