Shardul Thakur makes BOLD remarks on ‘Mental’ importance of switching between red and white-ball fixtures

India all-rounder and Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur on Wednesday said that playing a few white-ball matches between red-ball fixtures during the domestic season helps players stay mentally fresh and not have to take the toll of suddenly changing formats in a short amount of time.

Shardul Thakur also gave a thumbs up to the current scheduling of the Ranji Trophy, which is being held in two phases for the second consecutive season. He had earlier criticised the packed itinerary of the premier domestic competition, which offered only three-day gaps between matches.

“There would always be mixed views on it, but personally I am okay with it…. to play ten games in a row is tough on the body. We have also seen how the schedule is in the UK when the ECB plays. They have seven or eight first-class games in a row and then again they keep playing after break. They put some white-ball games in between, so that keeps everyone mentally fresh,” Thakur told the media at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.

“Otherwise, you are just playing one format for three months and then suddenly, white-ball cricket and then red-ball cricket is lost. So, it’s good that we are playing five games and we have a bit of a break. Then we play white-ball tournament, and then again move to red-ball cricket. So that way everyone stays in touch. They stay on top of both the games mentally…” he added.