Ex-India Star Expresses 'Motivation' Concern: "Why Are Players Breaking Down?"

Ignored Indian cricket team batter Hanuma Vihari questioned some of the national team players' motivation when it comes to playing international cricket and pointed out that difference in availability when it comes to the IPL. Vihari specifically mentioned the likes of Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy and jasprit Bumrah when speaking about players who played in the IPL but ended up missing international matches due to injury. He went on to question why they were ruled out just after the IPL and even wondered whether the amount of cricket is hurting the players.

“Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Varun Chakravarthy all played in the IPL before getting injured or becoming unavailable. When it comes to international cricket, why are they breaking down? Harshit Rana did not play the IPL but came back into international cricket and then was ruled out again. What exactly is the problem? Is it too much cricket? When we say there is too much cricket in the IPL, then why are players breaking down during international cricket?"

“Shubman Gill said after the last series that India would need to play around 10 or 12 matches in the World Cup. At that point, all the players need to be available. If players are unavailable after just two or three matches of a series, the team has to keep changing its combinations, and that becomes difficult. That is a fair point. But are the players motivated enough to play international cricket? Or are they taking it lightly because they believe that the IPL gives them money and fame?"

However, Vihari added that Bumrah should be treated as an exception in this case. “Bumrah is an exception because he is returning from injuries and needs workload management. He also plays all three formats."

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India Cricket Team Hanuma Vihari Jasprit Bumrah Hardik Pandya Harshit Rana Varun Chakaravarthy Cricket