Completely crammed calendars: Men in Blue's unforgiving schedule can impact overall well-being of players

Bengaluru: There has been a growing chorus among elite tennis players, across both genders, against an increasingly packed schedule. Top names such as six-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz and six-time major champion Iga Swiatek have openly criticised the gruelling calendar, even pulling out of high-profile tournaments to protect their well-being.

Since tennis is an individual sport, it might seem players can simply choose their events. However, the ATP and WTA make that difficult. To ensure top players’ participation — vital for sponsorship and viewership — the ranking system forces players to compete in numerous tournaments to retain points that expire after 52 weeks. The result: even the best find themselves caught in a relentless cycle, warning that the pressure is damaging both mental and physical health.

A similar scenario unfolds in cricket. Top male cricketers spend nearly the entire year travelling, playing, packing, and flying from one city or continent to another. The pace is unsustainable and has created not only player fatigue but also spectator fatigue.

The growing popularity of T20 has further complicated the situation. For many nations lacking resources to sustain Test or ODI formats, the shortest version has become a lifeline. It’s fast, entertaining, and financially rewarding, drawing a new generation of players who see cricket as a viable full-time career.

There is another set of players, and there are fewer of them than fingers can count, which, for various reasons, is restricted to the traditional format which is well-rewarding. 

The third and most valuable tier consists of multi-format players who can adapt across styles. These athletes are indispensable: they fill stadiums, attract sponsors, and drive broadcast ratings. Taking just the Indian team into account, if it were the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the immediate past, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, among others, are fast joining that club. The rewards, of course, are commensurate -- franchise deals, brand endorsements and lucrative central contracts from the BCCI. But this success comes at a price. As the backbone of India’s teams across formats, they play almost continuously throughout the year.

To get a sense of this madness, let’s glance at India Test and ODI skipper Gill’s workload in the last one year or so. Taking from the three-Test series at home against New Zealand from October 16, Gill has been playing non-stop in multiple formats. After three Tests against the Kiwis on November 3, he immediately flew to Australia for the five-Test series (Nov 22-Jan 5, skipped the first Test in Perth due to injury). This followed a healthy gap of one month before a deluge of events came in, starting with three ODIs against England (Feb 6-12). Soon after, he went to the UAE for the Champions Trophy (Feb 20-Mar 2). Immediately after his return, he was preparing and leading Gujarat Titans in IPL-18 (Mar 22 to end of May). From Jun 20-Aug 4, he was leading India in the away five-Test series against England. He had another long break before events followed and will continue to at a break-body speed. 

This stretch began with the Asia Cup (Sept 9-28) and has lasted more than two months with little break in between. Two days after landing in India from Dubai, the two-Test series against West Indies commenced (Oct 2-14), four days later he was playing the first of three ODIs in Australia. After a three-day break, five-match T20I series started, ending Saturday (Nov 8). Five days later, he would be leading India in the two-Test series against South Africa (Nov 14-26 in Kolkata and Guwahati). Following this, if he isn’t rested, he would be captaining the side in the three ODIs (Nov 30-Dec 6) and playing the five T20Is (Dec 9-19) against the same opponents. 

It’s exhausting even to read, imagine playing through it! Each match demands hours of practice in the nets and gym sessions, leaving little recovery time. Gill’s youth and fitness may help him for now, but such a schedule can break even the fittest athletes mentally and physically. Even Virat Kohli, once the epitome of stamina and focus, admitted to burnout despite his unmatched fitness regimen.

The team’s policy of managing workload solved only a part of the problem, and a holistic approach is needed to address players’ overall wellbeing.  

Shubman Gill.

What has also added to the workload is the streamlining of ICC events in all three formats. The biennial World Test Championship, the quadrennial ODI World Cup and the Champions Trophy and the biennial T20 World Cup. Unlike in the past, teams prepare more professionally for each of the white-ball tournament cycle by lining up a number bilateral series, making it difficult for players to skip these matches for the fear of ceding place to another aspirant.

Also, India, being India, are in demand across continents. They are cricket’s cash cow and everyone wants a piece of them. To maintain their heft in international cricket, the BCCI sends Indian teams to countries like Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka to keep them floating. A “compulsion”, neither England nor Australia are burdened with.

Australia visited West Indies earlier this year after a gap of 10 years. In the intervening period, India travelled to the Caribbean three times. England haven’t set foot in Zimbabwe after the 1996-97 Test series while Australia last played the Africans away in 1999. Of course, one can point out India not playing Pakistan in a bilateral series since 2012, but they more than compensate for it.

In the bargain, it’s the Indian cricketers are burdened with more than their counterparts in England or Australia. Yes, no player is complaining even when he is presented with a chance during news conferences, but no one is either openly justifying the schedule.

A certain Kohli did question the crammed calendar during home Test series against Sri Lanka in 2017, but in the next interview he had changed his tune. It’s anybody’s guess what would have transpired between him and the powers that be. And we know what will continue to happen.