Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Shane Watson on Saturday (August 29) said his heart goes out to teammate Suresh Raina, who has opted out of the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE due to personal reasons.
Watson hoped Raina would be okay, and said he will be sorely missed by CSK and the entire tournament.
"I woke up this morning to the really sad news that Suresh Raina is heading back to India for personal reasons. My heart goes out to you Suresh, I hope you're going okay mate. You are gonna be sorely missed for CSK," Watson said in an Instagram video.
"You have been the star for CSK, you are the heart beat of the team and you are also gonna be missed by IPL tournament as well. You are such a star of the IPL but most important is your well-being and I hope you are gonna be okay."
Watson also opened up about the COVID-19 situation in the CSK camp, where 13 personnel including two cricketers have tested positive for the virus.
All the affected individuals as well as their close contacts are asymptomatic and have been isolated from other team members. Moreover, CSK's quarantine period has been extended by a week.
"It's been interesting time to be locked down again for another seven days but this is the ever changing world that we live in. We all have to do everything we can to stay safe and limit the chances of COVID spreading throughout the IPL because this is the best T20 tournament in the world, all players and everyone, all the fans want it to go ahead. I will do, and I know we all will do whatever we have to be able to make sure that the IPL goes ahead," Watson said.
"It is a situation that has made everyone realise how integral and important it is for everyone to stick by the BCCI and IPL protocols. To make sure that something like this is just a little hiccup to start things off, fingers crossed nothing like this happens in the rest of the tournament and it goes on as seemlessly as possible."
