London, May 25: Former England captain Kevin Pietersen believes the forced break in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic, which has brought the world to a grinding halt, has extended the career of several athletes.
The sporting activities across the globe have either been suspended or postponed due to the lockdown or self-isolation imposed in almost every country.
While club football returned in Germany and a couple of T10 leagues started in some countries, the rest of the world still forced to remain indoors. Some leagues are on the way to resumption in the days to come and players are slowly stepping on the field to begin practice.
Amidst all this, the former English batsman claimed the break during the lockdown must have helped the athletes to recuperate from their injuries or niggles and it will eventually help lengthen their careers. Pietersen also added that the break also helped the players get mentally fit.
Pietersen took to his Twitter handle on Monday (May 25) and wrote, "I wonder how many sportsmen/women have had their careers lengthened with this forced break? Little niggles healing. A mental break from the pressure. Falling back in love with their sport. Would be interesting to find out?"
I wonder how many sportsmen/women have had their careers lengthened with this forced break?
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) May 25, 2020
Little niggles healing. A mental break from pressure. Falling back in love with their sport.
Would be interesting to find out?
Pietersen earlier claimed that Steve Smith's accomplishments are pale in comparison to Virat Kohli's "unreal numbers" and the Indian captain has outstripped even the great Sachin Tendulkar with his mastery of chases.
Smith and Kohli are among the leading batsmen in the world now but for Pietersen, the Australian doesn't even come close to the Indian superstar.