With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing a halt to many major cricket series and tournaments, the fate of ICC T20 World Cup 2020, which is scheduled to be played in Australia in October, is a hot topic of discussion among the fans of the game. Speculations are that the marquee event could be postponed to next year. Nevertheless, with the cricket bodies making the initial plans to restart the game, the World Cup could take place as per schedule. However, India’s head coach Ravi Shastri has made it crystal clear that he wants cricket activities to resume level by level. BCCI Develops Mobile App for Virat Kohli and Co, Comes Up With Four-Stage Process for Players' Fitness Amid Lockdown.

Talking about the global crisis, the former Indian all-rounder admitted that the last couple of months have been ‘horrible.’ “The last two months, and a couple of more going forward perhaps, will count as the most horrible phase in the life of a sportsperson in close to seven or eight decades. Something like this is unimaginable,” the India head coach was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Shastri also said that cricketers are not the only people who have been affected by the pandemic as everyone across the globe is hoping the situation to get normal. “The only consolation perhaps is that cricketers or sportspersons, in general, are not the only ones who’ve been left shattered by what’s happening. The world, in general, is suffering, waiting for normalcy to resume,” he added.

Speaking about the return of cricket, Shastri said that priority should be starting domestic cricket including Indian Premier League (IPL) at first and then to follow it up bilateral series. As far as multi-national tournaments like T20 World Cup are concerned, the Indian coach didn't put a lot of 'emphasis' in that.

“I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on world events right now. Stay at home, ensure domestic cricket comes back to normal, cricketers at all levels — international, First Class, etc — all get back on the field. That’s the most important bit,” said the 57-year-old further.

“Second: Start with bilateral cricket. If we (India) had to choose between hosting a World Cup and a bilateral tour, obviously, we’d settle for the bilateral. Instead of 15 teams flying in, we’d settle for one team flying in and playing an entire bilateral series at one or two grounds,” Shastri opined.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 15, 2020 04:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).