Indian captain Virat Kohli said cricket will resume as usual when the Covid-19 pandemic gets under control but the sport could lose out on the magic moments if it has to be played behind closed doors.
“It’s quite a possible situation, it might happen, I honestly don’t know how everyone is going to take that because we all are used to playing in front of so many passionate fans,” Kohli was quoted as saying during Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected.
“I know it will be played at a very good intensity but that feeling of the crowd connecting with the players and the tension of the game where everyone goes through it in the stadium, those emotions are very difficult to recreate,” he added.
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League has been indefinitely postponed and there are doubts over the T20 World Cup in Australia in October due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Kohli believes cricket will have to restart at some stage, but with a few changes.
“Things will still go on, but I doubt that one will feel that magic happening inside because of the atmosphere that was created. We will play sports how it is supposed to be played, but those magical moments will be difficult to come by,” he said.
India are also expected to tour Australia from October to December with BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal confirming that the Indian cricketers would be ready to undergo a two-week lockdown before the series.