Cricket Unabridged : A young talent in cricket "Jainil"

The entire world has come to a standstill because of the grappling effect of the Covid:19 virus. Every business and industry has taken a major hit in the world and so has the sporting industry. All forms of sports have been temporarily on halt since the deadly virus enveloped our globe. Cricket too has been on a hiatus since mid-March. But that doesn't prevent us from being engaged in some cricket content, right? So we have decided to start a new cricket podcast series where we shall be taking interviews of various competitive cricket players who have played cricket at a professional level.

In the first episode of Cricket Unabridged with Sayanta, we have Jainil Shastri who our my opinion, is a living example of sheer brilliance and has time and again proved that with hard work and sheer determination, anything is possible. Jainil is in sophomore year at Symbiosis Centre For Media and Communication and is a fervent follower of sports and cricket. He has played national level cricket where he represented Baroda in the under-14 and under-16 categories. We got the golden opportunity of asking him some questions about cricket post-corona-era. Read this article to get an insight into his opinions.

Sayanta: *How much of an impact do you think the lockdown will have on the player’s form, temperament, and mental state when they resume cricket again? What are the measures they will take to get back into the groove*

Jainil: Of course, before cricket resumes all the players will get a proper training session and sufficient time to get back to the sport. I have played the sport myself and I know what a small break, say 1-week break can do to your game and training. And this has been one of the biggest breaks in the history of cricket. Cricket will get impacted in a very different way. The players will have to be really very mentally prepared and all the captains and coaches are definitely telling their players to stay fit mentally and physically at home. I think everyone from their heart, will give more than 100% because I know how much they love the game.

Sayanta: *How much of an impact do you think the lockdown will have on the player’s form, temperament, and mental state when they resume cricket again? What are the measures they will take to get back into the groove*

Jainil: Of course, before cricket resumes all the players will get a proper training session and sufficient time to get back to the sport. I have played the sport myself and I know what a small break, say 1-week break can do to your game and training. And this has been one of the biggest breaks in the history of cricket.

Cricket will get impacted in a very different way. The players will have to be really very mentally prepared and all the captains and coaches are definitely telling their players to stay fit mentally and physically at home. I think everyone from their heart, will give more than 100% because I know how much they love the game.

So yes everyone's game will change in a brief way and people will be able to adapt to all the changes.

Sayanta: *Talking about fitness, we all know that you are a very big fitness freak and you are really very passionate about fitness. So how are you keeping yourself fit during this time?*

Jainil: Before the entire COVID situation, I used to always stay outside as I love the outdoors and I don't like indoors. I used to go to the gym because I didn't have weights myself. Of course, because of the entire COVID situation, I can't go for runs but that didn't stop me from working out. I have dumbbells at home over here in Vadodara and I'm doing a lot of bodyweight exercises. There are several amazing apps out there and YouTube videos that really help you with fitness while you are indoors.

Sayanta: *That is all about physical fitness. How are you keeping yourself mentally fit as this lockdown can have a natural tendency to take a toll on anyone's mental health*

Jainil: I don't know whether this was a coincidence or not but right before this entire lockdown had started and when I had to come home at Vadodara, I had started meditating. Since then I've been doing it regularly and I'm close to reaching my 100th day of continuous meditation. I honestly think meditation helps everyone and that is one of the main ways I'm maintaining my mental health and I don't think Covid-19 had that great of a tol on my mental health. I have been able to be productive and I have enjoyed my quarantine as well. So yes, meditation is something that has helped me get over the quarantine.

Sayanta *We all know that a lot of new rules will be implemented when the lockdown is uplifted. The shining rule will undergo a massive transformation. Saliva won't be allowed on balls. Do you think with this rule implemented, cricket fans will lose interest in the game?*

Jainil: I think looking at the entire situation, they will only do what is necessary for the game because everyone at the end of the day wants the old and original form of cricket back. We need to adapt to the new normal. After all that has happened to the world, it will be necessary for any sporting body and organization to follow the new normal. And with respect to the shining, if the ball, I'm sure if not saliva, something else will be used and I'm sure the umpires and any of the authorities will properly look into it and make sure there is no tampering. Shining is a very important part of bowling, and it keeps the ball going in test matches for 80 overs. So it's really important to shine the ball so that it stays proper because without shining the ball you won't be able to use the ball after 60 or 70 overs. It will be a really one-sided game if shining isn't allowed. So I'm sure before the game starts there will be proper rules or some proper substance will be used to shine the ball. Maybe sweat, but I'm not sure. But they will properly look into it.