Dubai: The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been shifted to the UAE due to the uprising COVID-19 cases in India. All the cricketers have been fighting and striving to survive with the humidity in UAE in the ongoing IPL.
The long gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic has not helped either. Commenting on the same, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) pacer Mohammed Shami said a sportsperson’s body is not like a car. It is natural that top cricketers are taking time to get back into the routine after such a long gap from the cricketing front.
“Our body is not like a car that you fill in the tank with petrol and it’ll run smoothly. Obviously, it takes time for any person to get back on the routine. It gets difficult for office workers itself so imagine how difficult it must be for a sportsperson to step out from the leisure of their home,” Shami said.
Right-arm pacer Shami, who is experiencing his best IPL season so far with eight wickets in five matches, also expressed that it is hard to keep up fitness levels when there is such a long break in between the training period.
“The most difficult thing for a sportsperson it to maintain their weight and fitness levels which becomes very crucial to handle. I am very happy that I have been able to utilize what I got from cricket to keep myself in good shape,” he added.
Shami was then asked about the conjectures throughout his career coming to an end after a crucial knee injury, and how he was motivated to do better things in the game. “In 2015 and even back in 2018 when I faced an injury, the media said that my career would be over. The media reported that even if I come back that I won’t be the same Shami, and I agree that I am not the same that I was a few years back.
“And that’s the only correct thing that they have said irrespective of all the other things they have said. This comment motivated me a lot to do better in the game for which I am known,” he said.
“One needs to be mentally strong at any cost. Everyone faces some or the other problem in their lives. To set the platform and to achieve it you need to plan a chart and work accordingly to achieve the goal. I believe that everyone has to face a difficult phase in life to refocus and work in the right direction,” he further added.
“I remember after my injury I weighed almost 95Kgs and I felt that what people are saying is true and I can’t do anything about it. But then I had a ball next to me throughout the 60 days of my bed rest during the injury. You don’t have to forget things in life and you have to learn and adapt to the situation and you can’t lie to yourself especially with regards to your profession,” he signed off.
