New Delhi: India captain Virat Kohli said cricket in empty stadiums is a real possibility in the post COVID-19 world but felt the magic would certainly go missing even though it is unlikely to have a bearing on the intensity of the players.
Cricket boards across the globe are exploring the option of resuming the sport in empty stadiums.
There is speculation that fans could be kept away from stadiums in a bid to salvage the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, which is currently under threat due to the global health crisis.
It (playing behind closed doors) is 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 said in Star Sports’ show ‘Cricket Connected’.
I know it will be played at a very good intensity. But, the feeling of the crowd connecting with the players and the tension of the game which everyone goes through in the stadium, those emotions are very difficult to recreate, he added.
Kohli said many moments that are created because of the passion brought in by fans would be missing.
Things will still go on, but I doubt 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.
Cricketers such as Ben Stokes, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Pat Cummins have backed the idea of playing in empty stadiums.
However, legendary Australian Allan Border has said it would defy belief to host a World Cup without spectators. Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and a few others have also expressed similar sentiments.