IPL 2021: Adam Zampa says India doesn't feel as safe as UAE after leaving the bio-bubble
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa returned home on Monday after leaving the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) midway through the 2021 IPL. He said that the bio-secure environment in India for IPL 2021 didn't feel as safe as the one that was in place in UAE for the 2020 edition of the tournament.
Adam Zampa listed several reasons that forced him to decide to quit the remainder of the league.
The 29-year-old said it would have been a better option to host IPL 2021 in UAE. He mentioned that he felt that more vulnerable because the tournament is being held in India.
“I just feel like because it’s India, we’re always being told about the hygiene over here and being extra careful ... I just felt like it was the most vulnerable. The IPL that was held in Dubai six months ago didn’t feel that way at all."
"I felt like that was extremely safe. Personally, I feel like that would have been a better option originally for this IPL but obviously, there’s a lot of political stuff that goes into it.
Adam Zampa also expressed apprehensions about the T20 World Cup in India later this year.
“Obviously there’s the T20 World Cup that’s meant to be happening here later this year. That’s probably going to be the next discussion in the cricket world. Six months is a long time,” Adam Zampa added.
“Definitely a financial sacrifice, but mental health first” - Adam Zampa
The RCB cricketer informed him that he wasn’t finding enough motivation as he was only warming the bench. Adam Zampa didn’t feature in the playing XI in any of RCB’s first five games this season.
“Obviously the COVID situation over here is pretty dire. I just felt, rocking up to training and stuff, obviously, I wasn’t playing in the team as well, I was going to training and I wasn’t finding the motivation,” Zampa told The Age and the Herald.
Adam Zampa noted that he felt it was best to take a call to go back home after the news about flights being canceled broke out.
“[There were] a few other things like bubble fatigue and the chance to get home, once all the news broke about the flights and everything. I thought this was the best time to make the call.”
“There’s a lot of people coming out and saying games of cricket could be a reprieve for some people but that’s also going to be a personal answer,” Zampa said.
Adam Zampa acknowledged that leaving the IPL midway will have financial implications. But he thought it was best for him to focus on his mental health.
“Someone who has a family member on their death bed probably doesn’t care about the cricket.”
“We’ve been in a few [bubbles] now, and I feel like this is probably the most vulnerable,” he said. “I feel like for leaving anyone halfway through a tournament, it’s definitely a financial sacrifice. But from my point of view I wanted to put my mental health first,” Zampa added.
Adam Zampa has featured in 14 IPL games thus far and picked up 21 wickets.