Abhinav Mukund is an Indian cricketer who plays for India and Tamil Nadu. He has played for India in seven Test matches and also captained India A team on several occasions. He was a member of Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.
How has the Covid-19 situation impacted you ?
I think the Covid-19 situation has impacted me more or less like any other person has, it has put a complete restriction on all my activities and I am unable to step out like everybody else but the scary part, at least for the cities like Chennai is the restrictions that they have placed and suddenly it feels like people are moving around unabashedly on the streets.I just wish that we could reduce and flatten the curve and hopefully we are able to get back to normalcy quite soon.
What do you think is the way out from Covid-19 for cricket?
I think for cricket it has to be staged in one center and I think we should start off with empty stadiums. Furthermore, there have been a lot of suggestions of shining the ball. The ICC have come up with a new set of overall health guidelines and the rules for shining the cricket ball.
A wax applicator is in the pipeline and for the moment there cannot be any saliva applied on the ball though you can continue to use your sweat. At the outset, I fear this will only make the game more batsmen-centric, and this is coming from a batsman.
I have played domestic cricket in India for almost 13 years now and it is scheduled only in the winter months. Imagine playing at Dharamshala in December or January where the hardest thing to do would probably be to break into a sweat. With practically zero sweat, how are you expected to shine the ball? What could be the alternative?
Red-ball cricket as we know it will go through a massive overhaul and we must brace ourselves for it. Social distancing, quarantine and self-isolation are probably the buzzwords of the year. With games likely to be played in empty stadiums, it is important for players to reignite their mojo without the help of packed crowds.
What has been your lockdown routine?
I try to keep myself fit, I try to keep myself busy, my lockdown routine is basically involves a lot of cleaning and cooking around the house as well but it also involves doing some running on alternate days . I have a few basic equipments like dumbbell only and I try to do that post 6 or 6:30 in the evening because it’s quite hot in Chennai . It’s almost 38° 40° degrees. That is more or less my lockdown routine.
How are you coping mentally with the situation?
I am trying to cope mentally in regards to just keeping myself busy, keeping myself fit and I have done a couple of commentary shows for the Star Sports, I hosted an Instagram live, I wrote an article for Cricbuzz other than that I have tried to work on my game. I have been watching a lot of videos that some people have put up, some webinars as well. I have kept myself busy and active through these activities.
What kind of a diet do you follow?
I have tried to reduce it from three meals to two meals because more or less we are sitting around all day. I try to have two big meals, one I have in the afternoon and then one at night so that’s basically my diet.
What is your advice to everyone trying to survive the situation?
My advice would be to stay positive stay safe and not to take the lockdown lightly it’s important for us to flatten the curve and not spread the virus maintain social distancing and I think there are lot of videos and a lot of people talking about it, it’s important for each one of us to remain patient for a little while more so that we can get back to normal very soon.
