IPL 2021 - It Is A Journey of Survival Is How I Look At It: Laxmipathy Balaji On His Ordeal With Covid-19

 IPL 2021 - It Is A Journey of Survival Is How I Look At It: Laxmipathy Balaji On His Ordeal With Covid-19

a group of football players on a field: IPL 2021 - It Is A Journey of Survival Is How I Look At It: Laxmipathy Balaji On His Ordeal With Covid-19© Provided by News18 IPL 2021 - It Is A Journey of Survival Is How I Look At It: Laxmipathy Balaji On His Ordeal With Covid-19

Laxmipathy Balaji, the Bowling Coach of the Chennai Super Kings tested positive for Covid-19 on the 2nd of May – the last day of action before the 2021 edition of the IPL was suspended due to a growing number of cases amongst players and support staff of the various franchises. Balaji, who recovered on the 14th of May spoke about his battle and fears in the couple of weeks he was down with the virus.

In an interview with Cricinfo, Balaji stated that he was initially in shock when he first tested positive for the virus as he had been very strict with his quarantine and isolation protocols.

“On May 2, I was feeling a bit of uneasiness. I had body ache and a mild nose block. I was tested the same day around mid-afternoon. By May 3 morning, I had tested positive. I was shocked. I had done nothing to breach the norms to endanger mine and the rest of the bubble’s safety.”

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He added that he was scared and could not express his feelings initially. It took him some time to understand the seriousness of what had happened.

“Was I scared? Initially I could not express my feelings. I knew people were dying outside. It took me another 24 hours to sink in the seriousness of issue once family and friends started to message. I started to get worried. From the second day in isolation I realised I had to monitor myself, recording all the health data. I was obviously anxious,” said Balaji

Baaji said that he was worried about the health and safety of his teammates and other members of the contingent as more people started testing positive. He still maintained that he was surprised that the bio-bubble had been broken as everyone had adhered to strict rules and regulations especially after what happened in the UAE last year.

“I was also more worried about the others in my team who I was milling around with before I tested positive. Rajeev Kumar (CSK fielding coach), Robin Uthappa, Cheteshwar Pujara, Deepak Chahar along with Kasi Sir were all around me. So my conscience was battling with the difficult question of what if any of these people tested positive, too? I was praying for their health.”

“Then I came to know that Michael Hussey (Super Kings’ assistant coach), too, had tested positive. Till day we don’t know how or where we contracted the coronavirus. We had a very strict protocol within the bubble from first week of March when CSK’s preparatory camp started. After the experience in 2020 IPL when members of the CSK contingent tested positive, the franchise took maximum precautions even when we travelled from Chennai and Mumbai where we were based for the first leg of our IPL. Even in Delhi we followed the strict protocol. I don’t know where we might have caught the infection: was it at the ground? Was it at the training ground at the Roshanara Club? But that was secluded. And why should only two of us get it,” added Balaji.

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Balaji breathed a huge sigh of relief when he was moved to Chennai from Delhi. He said his confidence was back and mentally he became more optimistic. But he also understood the gravity of the situation outside and what the country was experiencing. “Once in Chennai the anxiety that had gripped us in Delhi had been replaced by confidence. Mentally we became positive. I started to constantly exchange messages with Hussey and we realised that many were dire situation outside. We were fortunate to be under better care. Eventually after spending about close to 12 days I returned home in Chennai on May 14.”

Balaji concluded by saying that for him the biggest learning was how to survive when adversity hits you the hardest. He added that this was perhaps the most unique challenge he had faced in his career.

“It is a journey of survival is how I look at it. Lakhs of people have been affected, and most of them recovered, but many were not lucky to survive due to different reasons. It has been an intense situation. In my career I have encountered several challenges, but it is a different battle we are going through dealing with the pandemic.”

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02

Wriddhiman Saha Compares UAE, India IPL Bio-Bubbles, Says 'Here There Would be People; Kids Peeping From Walls'

Seasoned wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha has indicated that the bio-bubble for IPL-14 was not as foolproof as the one in UAE last year, becoming the first India player to publicly question, even if subtly, the tightness of the controlled environment.

The 36-year-old Saha was among the players who contracted the dreaded virus before the IPL stumbled to an abrupt halt midway into its 14th season after multiple COVID-19 cases were reported in its bio-bubble.

During an interview with PTI, Saha spoke about the bio-bubble breach in India and said it would have been better if the IPL was held in UAE, like last year.

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“It’s the job of the stakeholders to assess it, but the only thing I would say is that there was not a single individual during our training in UAE (last year), not even a ground staff.

“Here there would be people, kids peeping from nearby walls. I don’t want to comment much but we saw how the IPL went off smoothly in UAE in 2020 and then it started in India this year with cases on the rise,” Saha said.

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The Bengal veteran reached his home in Kolkata after completing over a fortnight-long quarantine at a Delhi hotel to make himself available for selection for the upcoming England tour.

On the bio-bubble he added, “I don’t know what would have happened, but definitely I feel it would have been better off in UAE this time as well. It’s for the stakeholders to look into it.”

Saha had tested positive for COVID-19 on May 4, the day the 2021 edition of the tournament was suspended indefinitely.

He said he has fully recovered now and he is not feeling any weakness.

“I’m doing all normal activities, there’s no fatigue, body ache or any weakness. But I will actually get to know how my body is coping when I get into actual match training mode.”

Recalling his battle with the virus, he said: “I had a slight fever for the first couple of days, lost smell after five days but it returned within four days.

“It was about spending time with family, friends (virtually), catching up with some light-hearted movies and keeping myself in a good space. I was never mentally disturbed or down. I was just being normal.

“Currently, I’m doing some fitness routine at home but the actual fitness training will start after I join the team in Mumbai,” he concluded.

Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here

03

Wriddhiman Saha subtly questions IPL bubble tightness, says UAE would have been better venue

KOLKATA: Seasoned wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha has indicated that the bio-bubble for IPL 14 was not as foolproof as the one in UAE last year, becoming the first India player to publicly question, even if subtly, the tightness of the controlled environment.The 36-year-old Saha was among the players who contracted the dreaded virus before the IPL stumbled to an abrupt halt midway into its 14th season after multiple COVID-19 cases were reported in its bio-bubble.During an interview with PTI, Saha spoke about the bio-bubble breach in India and said it would have been better if the IPL was held in UAE, like last year."It's the job of the stakeholders to assess it, but the only thing I would say is that there was not a single individual during our training in UAE (last year), not even a ground staff."Here there would be people, kids peeping from nearby walls. I don't want to comment much but we saw how the IPL went off smoothly in UAE in 2020 and then it started in India this year with cases on the rise," Saha said.The Bengal veteran reached his home in Kolkata after completing over a fortnight-long quarantine at a Delhi hotel to make himself available for selection for the upcoming England tour.On the bio-bubble he added, "I don't know what would have happened, but definitely I feel it would have been better off in UAE this time as well. It's for the stakeholders to look into it."Saha had tested positive for COVID-19 on May 4, the day the 2021 edition of the tournament was suspended indefinitely.He said he has fully recovered now and he is not feeling any weakness."I'm doing all normal activities, there's no fatigue, body ache or any weakness. But I will actually get to know how my body is coping when I get into actual match training mode."Recalling his battle with the virus, he said: "I had a slight fever for the first couple of days, lost smell after five days but it returned within four days."It was about spending time with family, friends (virtually), catching up with some light-hearted movies and keeping myself in a good space. I was never mentally disturbed or down. I was just being normal."Currently, I'm doing some fitness routine at home but the actual fitness training will start after I join the team in Mumbai," he concluded.