The God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has expressed his unwillingness to have sports behind closed doors and said empty stadiums would be disappointing for the athletes as well. Tendulkar told PTI during an exclusive interview talking about the implications of the contagion that has infected millions. He stated-
“Empty stadiums would be so disappointing for players who are competing. There are lots of times when players respond to spectators. If I play a good shot and manner in which crowd responds also brings in that energy. Similarly, if a bowls a fiery spell and the crowd is responding to it, it builds a kind of pressure on the batsman and he needs to respond to it. Spectators are integral to any sport. Their encouragement, vociferous chants for or against you may be a necessity in sport.”
Reportedly, the legend will not celebrate his 47th birthday on Friday due to the ongoing crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and he wants to stand in solidarity with all the corona warriors who are fighting the deadly virus at the forefront. The medical staffs are playing on the front foot and they are the heroes of the country today.
Meanwhile, speaking further about how cricket would cope up in the post-coronavirus era, Tendulkar believed the usage of saliva to polish the ball would be reduced and also hugging and high fives could be avoided by the cricketers. “I think players are going to be wary for a few time when it involves using saliva to shine the ball. It will play on their minds. Social distancing measures are going to be followed till the deadly virus is around.”
He added that-
“High fives and hugging your teammates are going to be avoided for a few time. This is what I would like to believe. They will be conscious to start with and should maintain social distancing.”
