Ganguly feels Indian players more 'tolerant' to COVID restrictions amid concerns over IPL

Amidst the COVID concerns looming over the IPL 2021 which is just three nights away from commencement, BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly feels that Indian players are more 'tolerant' to the restrictions than overseas cricketers. Highlighting the stringent regulations and the bio-bubbles in place, Ganguly admitted that cricket during the pandemic has turned to an 'absolutely different life'. The former India captain also cited Australia's last-minute exit from the South Africa tour to buttress his claim. 

"I feel we Indians are a bit more tolerant than overseas (cricketers). I've played with a lot of Englishmen, Australians, West Indians, they just give up on mental health," Ganguly said at a virtual promotional event, as per PTI. 

"In the last six-seven months, with so much cricket being going on in the bio-bubble it's so tough. Just going from the hotel room to the ground, handle the pressure and come back to the room and then get back to the ground again, it's an absolutely different life," he added. 

Citing Australia's last-minute pull-out, Ganguly said that the COVID scare was always in the players head. The Kangaroos were slated to tour South Africa for a three-Test tour in March but cancelled the series on grounds of the COVID scare. The last-minute cancellation hit the Cricket South Africa (CSA), which was struggling with an economic crisis, as eventually sought ICC intervention. 

Ganguly's biggest setback as player

Shedding light on the biggest setback in his career, Ganguly recalled the moment he was stripped of his captaincy back in 2005 following a fall-out with the then coach. The 'Prince of Kolkata' was also eventually dropped out of the squad only to make a glorious return. "You just have to deal with it. It's the mindset that you get into. Life has no guarantees, be it in sport, business or whatever. You go through ups and downs. You just have to bite the bullet. Pressure is a huge thing in everybody's life. All of us go through different pressures," the BCCI chief said.

"When you play your first Test, it's the pressure of making yourself established and making the world know that you belong at this level. And when you go to that level after playing many number of matches, it's about keeping up the performances. A little bit of blip and it doesn't stop people from scrutinising you and that adds to athletes in a long way," he added.

IPL & COVID-19 

The Coronavirus has rocked the marquee T20 league slated to get underway from April 9 onwards. With the COVID-19 cases witnessing an unprecedented surge, concerns have been raised over the capability of venues like Mumbai to host the tournament without any hiccups. So far, three players have already pulled out of the tournament citing personal reasons. Apart from that several players including Nitish Rana, Devdutt Padikkal and Axar Patel have also contracted the infection just days before their first game. As per reports, BCCI is closely monitoring the situation in Mumbai and has already placed Hyderabad on stand-by to host Wankhede's fixtures.