Wriddhiman Saha claims that he might have got the virus after mingling with the “CSK guys” post their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 game in Delhi last month.
Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha pointed out on Saturday that he might have contracted the coronavirus after his interactions with the Chennai Super Kings players and support staff post their game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Wriddhiman Saha Claims He May Have Contracted The Virus While Interacting With A Few CSK Players
SRH and CSK played Match 23 in the capital city on April 28 which the latter won by 7 wickets. Just 5 days after the game, CSK bowling Laxmipathy Balaji tested positive for Covid-19. A day later, Wriddhiman Saha also returned a positive Covid-19 result to become the fourth player at that time to contract the virus. The rising cases forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India to suspend the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 with immediate effect.
Barely 24 hours after the postponement of the league, CSK batting coach Michael Hussey also tested positive for Covid on May 5, taking the tournament’s Covid tally to 6. Wriddhiman Saha has now recovered from the virus and even returned home to Kolkata from Delhi to be with his family on May 18.
“We used the airport, landed in Delhi, and even played the CSK game there. So if I had contracted the virus at the airport, the symptoms could’ve shown up before or during the CSK game itself.
“The day before I returned positive, 2 to 4 CSK members showed symptoms. And two days before that, we had played versus Chennai and I was present at the ground. I had interacted with a few CSK guys during practice, so I feel that could have been the source,” Saha told Sportskeeda.
Wriddhiman Saha Felt More Secure At UAE Bio Bubble Which Allowed Fewer People
The 36-year-old Bengal cricketer went on to add that playing IPL 2020 in the United Arab Emirates felt more secure as the people allowed inside the bio-bubble last year were much less compared to this season which is probably why there was a breach.
“When we played in the UAE last year, there used to be no one around us even during practice sessions. But here, we are sharing the space with groundsmen, people outside the ground are also peeping through the gates or over the wall. Nobody breached the bubble, so there must have been some small opening somewhere either through the driver, the Chennai team or somebody at the ground,” Saha said.
SRH was placed last on the points table with just 1 win from 7 games before the IPL 2021 got postponed. Just 29 out of the scheduled 60 matches were played in the tournament till May 2. SRH management made the headlines when they relieved talisman David Warner of captaincy duties, all of a sudden, after the sixth match.
Phase 2 of the Indian Premier League – which will cover the remaining 31 matches of the 2021 edition, including the four knockout games – is set to be played in the United Arab Emirates between September and October. BCCI is likely to make the announcement on May 29 when the members assemble for a special general meeting.