Might have to consider trimming Indian domestic season, admits Rahul Dravid

The Covid-19 pandemic has wiped off four full months of cricket from the calendar, and despite international cricket set to resume next month in the form of England vs West Indies, the situation still looks bleak in several parts of the world, including India. With over 4 lakh total cases, and an average of 13,000 daily cases, India has started to witness the worst of the Covid-19 wave and any sort of normalcy does seem far away.

This has, in turn, raised fears of the country’s domestic cricket season getting shortened or cancelled and Rahul Dravid, the incumbent head of the NCA in Bengaluru, also echoed the same sentiments and admitted that the BCCI might have to look at trimming the domestic calendar if the situation does not drastically improve. Dravid further opined that the country is in no position to resume playing the sport and insisted on the need to prioritize safety.

"I don't think we are in a position to resume…. It is better to be patient and wait. We have to take it month by month. One has to look at all options. If the domestic season, which usually starts by August-September, starts in October… one has to see whether the season should be shortened,” Dravid told The Week, an Indian magazine, reported ESPN Cricinfo.

"Everything is uncertain right now. How much cricket will be played and what it will take to be able to play depends on the guidelines from the government and medical experts. For us at NCA, the busiest time is from April to June. 

“We normally have our zonal, U-16, U-19, U-23 camps happening at this time. we had to keep redrawing plans. I just hope we don't lose a lot of our cricket season, and that we can get some cricket this year."

Speaking about the situation at the NCA, the 47-year-old, without giving away a date, said that the academy will open initially for local cricketers, after which it’ll be made available for other state cricketers who, he believes, might have to observe a 14-day quarantine prior to training. With there being no certainty over the domestic calendar for the upcoming season, Dravid stated that NCA’s training programmes will depend purely on the scheduling of the domestic season.

"The NCA will possibly open initially for some local cricketers," Dravid said. "Those arriving from other places will have to first quarantine themselves for 14 days. Whether that is possible, we have to see.

"For domestic cricket, fortunately, we were able to complete most of our competitions before the lockdown. We have to see whether players are comfortable with inter-state travel. Our training programmes will depend on which domestic tournament will be played first. If it is T20, then we will start the programme accordingly."