Deepak Chahar
Despite multiple COVID-19 positive cases in the bio-bubble, Chennai Super Kings pacer Deepak Chahar said that no protocol was breached during the course of the now-suspended IPL 2021.
The Chennai outfit suffered two major blows after bowling coach Laxmipathy Balaji and batting coach Michael Hussey contracted the virus. The duo was later flown to Chennai from Delhi in an air ambulance. Chahar, however, said that his teammates didn't panic amid all the hullabaloo and confusion.
“Once some reports came positive, the team management told us to isolate. We had tests every day and the reports came negative, so that was a big relief. But none of the players panicked and everyone handled it well. No protocol was breached. But obviously, I don’t know what went wrong," Chahar told Sportstar.
After SunRisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and Delhi Capitals veteran tweaker Amit Mishra joined the growing list of COVID-19 infected players, the BCCI decided to 'indefinitely suspend' the lucrative T20 league.
"It is really difficult to say because all the players followed the bubble strictly. When you create a bubble from one city to another, it may be a difficult task. But I am not in a position to say, what exactly happened," Chahar further said.
Three-time champions CSK were in a strong position this season, unlike their dreadful outing in the UAE last year. The MS Dhoni-led was second on the points table before the fourteenth IPL edition came to a halt. Chahar, who picked up eight wickets in seven games including two four-fers, said that it felt nice to entertain people in the middle of 'so much gloom'.
"It was challenging, but it was also important to have the IPL in these times. There was so much gloom, but at least we could entertain them for a few hours. We were playing for the public and that was the motivation," said the Rajasthan pacer.
