There have been wide-ranging debates going around considering the workload of the Indian National Cricket team players ahead of the Indian Premier League. Meanwhile, remaining injury free, avoiding burnout will be the main concerns, especially for the World Cup hopefuls. Skipper Virat Kohli has put the ball in the court of the concerned players asking them to be smart about managing their schedule. But Sourav Ganguly feels that while the decision to play or not should be left to an individual but playing professional cricket is a rare opportunity and player should not avoid it.
Cricketers should keep playing
The seven-weeks IPL tournament includes players going through a rigorous schedule along with a lot of travelling. This can take a heavy toll on the player’s body, and the management cannot risk that considering that the World Cup will start within three wickets from the final of the IPL. Sourav Ganguly believes there will be times when a player can suffer from injuries, and it is not in their hands. As a result, the former cricketer believes when there is an opportunity to play one should not back off from that.
“Leave it to the players. If they want to play and if they keep performing, why should we stop it?” Ganguly said on Tuesday. “It’s their career, they want to participate in every format like we did when we were young. Players will find their way. Being injured is not being unfit. When you play at the top level consistently, there are times when you will get injured and there’s no guarantee. I believe that as a player when you get the opportunity to play, play. Never say ‘I don’t want to play.’ It doesn’t work,” Ganguly added.
Find ways to stay fresh
Moreover, Sourav Ganguly believes a cricketer only gets a handful of games, and they should not give that away. Along with it, the southpaw added that a player himself needs to find ways to stay fit and keep playing. Also, he said if that opportunity goes past, it will never come back to him that too in this stage.
“It’s a lot of cricket but just play. You don’t play forever. How many cricketers get to play 15-16 years of international cricket? So, I don’t think any of them should worry about being fatigued, being tired. Just find a way to get fresh,” Ganguly added.