We might not be able to see any live sport for 4-5 months – Sunil Gavaskar

 

Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes it might take another four to five months before we can see some live sports happening. The sporting world has come to a standstill due to the ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus. It is expected that the virus is not leaving us anytime soon and thus it will take some more time before we get back to normalcy.

Many cricketing events have been postponed due to Covid-19. The IPL has been indefinitely postponed after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended the lockdown on April 14. Furthermore, the England and Wales cricket board has suspended cricket in England till July 1.

Moreover, the T20I World Cup scheduled to take place in Australia from October 18 is under the scrutiny. It is reported that the mega event might take behind the closed doors.

Gavaskar feels it is tough for everyone including the players as well as the fans. However, with the current situation, there is no way that any action is possible for the next few months.

“The way things are going we might not be able to see any live sport for maybe 4-5 months. That’s gonna be tough not just on the current players but also those who follow sport,” Gavaskar told India Today.

On the other hand, the BCCI is targeting other windows to host the 13th season of the IPL. It is also known that Indian board might organise the tournament without any spectators. The former Indian opener reckons it would be the last resort for the BCCI.

“I think that’s gonna be absolutely the last resort otherwise you know when you can’t have absolutely anyone at the ground only then you should play without crowds”.

There is still a lot of uncertainty over the end of the coronavirus. The World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom has said that the virus is not going away anytime soon and we would need to keep battling against it. Ergo, it makes all the sense that we wait for the situation to improve before letting the players get back on the field.

Subsequently, when the situation improves, there will be a lot of precautions which needs to be taken by the authorities for the smooth conduct of the events.

 

Written by: Gautam Chauhan