VVS Laxman, Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor admitted being surprised by Wridhiman Saha’s Covid-positive report as he wondered how the virus can breach even the most structured bubbles.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha was slated to play the match against Mumbai Indians on May 04 before fresh Covid-positive cases forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to suspend the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 matches with immediate effect. SRH mentor, VVS Laxman, still has no clue as to how the virus got into the team.
VVS Laxman Admitted Having Learned A Lesson That Even The Most Structured Bio Bubbles Can Be Breached By The Deadly Virus
Until the start of this week, the IPL Season 14 had gone nearly flawless. The Mumbai and Chennai legs of the tournament concluded without many hiccups while the Delhi and Ahmedabad legs were looking promising. Yet, there seems to have been multiple breaches in the franchises’ bio-bubbles that resulted in people from four different team getting infected.
In his column for the Times of India, VVS Laxman admitted having learned a huge lesson about the virus, that it can break even the most structured of bubbles if the guard is let down even for a split second.
“That even carefully structured bubbles can be breached is another lesson in our battle against the coronavirus — to never let our guard down, even for a millisecond,” Laxman wrote in TOI.
“We had full confidence in the protocols that had been put in place even when we moved from one city to another, but once we learned of the positive tests in the Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) camp, our apprehensions mounted,” he added.
As the news of players in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and support staff in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camps contracting the virus broke, the anxiety levels in the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp also shot up considering they had recently played against the Super Kings.
“We [SRH] had just finished a match against CSK and several of us caught up with old friends, so there was understandable anxiety and unrest until the test results were out.”
However, it’s still not clear how Wriddhiman Saha of SRH tested Covid-19 positive. Two earlier matches had already been postponed due to positive cases in the KKR (Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier) and CSK (Laxmipathy Balaji – later Michael Hussey) camps. Once Wriddhiman Saha and Amit Mishra tested positive, the BCCI had no option but to suspend the league for now and send the team contingents back home.
VVS Laxman Wished Wriddhiman Saha To Recover From Covid-19
With SRH deciding to drop David Warner in a bid to add more stability to the team with an all-rounder, Wriddhiman Saha was supposed to open alongside Jonny Bairstow against Rajasthan Royals. The Bengal-born wicket-keeper, however, was feeling under the weather and later his positive covid test result saw the entire league getting suspended.
“I wish Wriddhiman Saha a full and speedy recovery. Wriddhiman Saha was slated to play Sunday’s match against Rajasthan Royals but felt a little under the weather on Saturday night. We immediately placed him in isolation and, despite our prayers, he returned a positive test,” wrote Laxman.
As far as the SRH camp is concerned, they still have no idea as to how Wriddhiman Saha contracted the virus.
“We are still wondering how, despite taking all precautions, Wriddhi got infected.”
Amit Mishra, Sandeep Warrier, Varun Chakravarthy, and Wriddhiman Saha contracted the virus which led to the IPL 2021 being suspended indefinitely.