"Don't be surprised if 2 Indian teams are seen playing at the same time regularly" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra has said that two separate Indian teams playing simultaneously might become the norm in the future.
The Indian team has reached England for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the subsequent five-match series against the hosts. Meanwhile, a separate Team India will play a limited-overs series in Sri Lanka in July.
While referring to Virat Kohli's pre-departure press conference statement about the bio-bubble taking a heavy toll on the players, Aakash Chopra observed the issue might necessitate two different Indian teams playing in parallel quite often.
"Virat Kohli has mentioned that there are mental issues because of the bio-bubble. So don't be surprised if two Indian teams are seen playing at the same time regularly," said Chopra.
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that mental health issues are no longer being brushed under the carpet and are instead being talked about openly.
"Virat Kohli said a very important thing and Ravi Shastri has endorsed it as well, it is a reality, people didn't use to talk about it earlier but now they have started talking. It is no longer a taboo issue that whoever talks about mental issues is weak," added Aakash Chopra.
Liam Livingstone left IPL 2021 prematurely because of bio-bubble fatigue. Even Andre Russell admitted recently that the bubble has taken a toll on him mentally.
"You want to switch off but it does not happen" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra highlighted that there is limited scope for relaxation when you are within a bio-bubble.
"He [Kohli] has said that when you are in the bio-bubble, there is no way to actually disconnect from the game. You cannot go out anywhere, you want to switch off but it does not happen," said Chopra.
While acknowledging that the bio-bubble related restrictions do help in team bonding, the 43-year-old signed off by stating that players will have to be given breaks more frequently.
"You keep moving along the same 18-20 people, of course it brings the family or the team together, but over a period of time it gets taxing because there is no escape route. So, mental health is a priority and because of that you will see two separate teams playing a lot of times as you will need to regularly rest the players," concluded Aakash Chopra.
Team India has a packed calendar for the next few months. They have the remainder of IPL 2021 and the T20 World Cup lined up just after the England tour, followed by home series against New Zealand and a tour of South Africa.
The players would definitely have to be given time away from the game intermittently, especially considering the quarantine periods required to be served in the current circumstances.