Sam Curran explains why he missed the Test series against India 

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first T20 encounter between India and England, Sam Curran revealed that the decision to stay in England instead of taking part in the Test series against India had been premeditated. The board wanted players to avoid taking unnecessary stress by spending long periods in bio-bubbles, and Sam Curran wanted to be as mentally fresh as possible.

Sam Curran reveals the decision to miss the Test series against India was taken in December

Sam Curran flew home following the tour of Sri Lanka, which meant that he’d be missing the Test series against India. When asked about the same, Sam mentioned that the decision had been made as early as December.

“After the South African Tour in December, Ed (Smith, England’s selector) sat down with me personally to discuss what’s ahead and I was always leaving after Sri Lanka. So, for me, there were no real problems with that. If I played all four Tests here, did the IPL and then straight into the summer, I guess that probably would be five months straight in a bubble.”

Bio-bubbles have become commonplace in cricket ever since the game resumed following the coronavirus pandemic. England was the first to implement the procedure during the series against West Indies in July 2020.

Bio-bubbles are a tough environment to deal with and several players have spoken about the mental challenges of staying in isolation for too long. England has been very vocal about the rest and workload management that players require and have taken up an extensive rest and rotation policy.

The 22-year-old all-rounder did not shy away from expressing how difficult life is in a bio-bubble.

“Players have to get out. The bubbles are a tough environment and yeah, it has got its pros obviously but you have to find that balance. Personally, I found that it’d be great to get out and coming here, I have a good mindset and I feel very refreshed. I think it’s about being in a good place mentally to be coming into these games,” said Sam.

Sam Curran praised England’s policy of actively rotating their players and making sure that players do not feel burnt out.

“If you stay in these bubbles for too long, you feel like you’re not getting away as much as you should, which in normal life, you do. England are focusing on that (avoiding extended periods of bio-bubble for players) and it’s about finding the right balance. There’s obviously going to be pros and cons but I think it’s about taking one series at a time and I personally feel I’m in a good space right now,” the all-rounder concluded.