MUMBAI: India captain Virat Kohli said confining players to ‘bubbles’ for months on end is not sustainable and the game has to consider scheduling changes to reduce the mental toll tours are taking during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kohli’s comments come as cricketers prepare to head into another restricted environment for two months for the IPL.

“As I said a couple of days ago as well, scheduling is something that needs to be looked at in the future,” Kohli said at the presentation ceremony after the final match of England’s tour of India on Sunday. “Because playing in bubbles for so long, two-three months, is going to be very, very difficult going forward.”

India’s players have hopped from one bubble to the next since September for the 2020 IPL in the United Arab Emirates. That was followed by their three-month tour of Australia and then a home series against England that lasted two months. They will next join up with their respective franchises for the IPL bubble.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2021*