Amid the growing Covid-19 scare inside the IPL's bio-secure bubble in the UAE, Rajasthan Royals have some positive news: their fielding coach Dishant Yagnik has reached Dubai and is supervising players' training from his hotel room.
A week before the team's departure, the 37-year-old former Rajasthan wicket-keeper tested positive for coronavirus and was instructed to stay back in India till he recovered.
Yagnik has now joined the team after testing negative for the virus and is following the quarantine procedure in Dubai at present. He was an asymptomatic COVID-19 patient, and says he initially displayed a little panic but soon understood he needed to follow safety guidelines to ensure quick recovery.
"My first reaction when I tested positive for Covid-19, I was a little worried… but with time I understood there is nothing abnormal about the disease and I just needed to follow the health safety protocols set up by the BCCI and the Rajasthan Royals," Yagnik told IANS.
"I was in quarantine for 14 days and I was retested on day 13 and 14; both turned out to be negative. Then I also cleared a fitness test before flying to Dubai to join the team."
Tuesday was the fourth day of the fielding coach's quarantine and gave an insight into how he is preparing the team from the hotel room itself.
"I am very happy to be part of the team again. Obviously, I missed the travelling part and initial training session with the team but anyways I look forward to getting back to the training session on the ground.
"I am in touch with all the players and my colleagues and co-staff about the field training session. From day one we are clear about our objective and that is to win. That's why as far as fielding training is concerned; I have designed a lot of fielding drills which resemble match pace and pressure," said Yagnik, who has been the RR fielding coach since 2018.
