BCCI suspended IPL 14 on May 4 due to the COVID-19 crisis in the league.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) wicketkeeper-batsman Shreevats Goswami has on Thursday (May 6) admitted that the players, especially overseas cricketers, were panicked once the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) bio-bubble was breached that led to the postponement of the T20 league.
The IPL 2021 was postponed indefinitely mid-way into the tournament by the BCCI and IPL Governing Council after several players and support staff from multiple franchises tested COVID-19 positive.
Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Wriddhiman Saha from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Delhi Capitals’ (DC) Amit Mishra, and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coaches L Balaji and Michael Hussey were tested positive for COVID-19 along with a bus cleaner.
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However, Goswami has insisted that any player or support staff hasn’t violated the COVID-19 SOPs, but once the Coronavirus cases emerged at the IPL 14 bio-bubble, everyone panicked, but the foreign players were scared the most as they were fearing for their families safety.
According to the Press Trust of India, Goswami stated: “We were well taken care of inside the bubble. None of the players or support staff breached it. But once the virus entered, I will not deny, everyone panicked and the foreigners especially. You can’t really help it.”
He further added, “I know I am a sportsman with good immunity. God forbid, if I contract the virus, I would recover. But what if as an asymptomatic carrier, I give it to my aged parents. When the virus entered, most players were scared because you don’t want your family to get affected.”
On explaining how overseas stars feared about COVID-19 situation in India, the SRH keeper said: “Obviously you are not oblivious to what’s happening on the outside. When you see people dying because of lack of oxygen, hospitals running out of bed, you feel. For the foreigners, obviously, it was scary, what they saw and read on Twitter.”
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He added, “We Indian players would try to comfort them that don’t worry things will be okay. Some of them were like ‘what if we get COVID over here? Will our health insurance policy work?”
(With PTI Inputs)