Cricket: Bubble life 'taken a toll on me mentally' - Andre Russell

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has said that the bio-bubble life has “definitely taken a toll” on him because of the strict restrictions and quarantine rules imposed on participating players and staff in T20 tournaments and international series.

Russell, who was last seen playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021, is gearing up for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in the UAE, which is likely to resume on June 7. However, moving from one bubble to another has taken a mental toll on Russell as he said that players not being able to go out for a walk and being locked inside a room doesn’t help.

"I think it's taking a toll on myself," Russell told Geo News.

"I can't talk for any other player, or coaches or anyone that goes through this whole quarantine stuff. But it's definitely taken a toll on me mentally because from bubble to bubble, in a room locked in, you can't go out for a walk, you can't go certain places, you can't socialise, it's different.

"But at the end of the day, I'm not being ungrateful, I'm grateful that we're still playing, we're still doing our job. So it's tough for us. But even though we prepared for it, it still takes a toll."

The West Indies brute said that he tries to kill time by using the bike in his room or trying other exercises during the tournaments, where players have to follow strict protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"So for me, I like to have a bike or something in my room so that I can get my heart rate up," he said. "I would utilise the space that I have, go on the floor, do some of some push-ups. For some exercise, I use stuff in the room to just get something done."

Meanwhile, the PSL is set to resume from June 7 and the remaining 20 matches of the tournament will be played in Abu Dhabi where the players and other participants are undergoing quarantine ahead of the T20 tournament.