‘UAE would have been a better option for IPL’
KOLKATA: Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha indicated that the bio-bubble for IPL-14 was not as foolproof as the one in the UAE last year, becoming the first India player to publicly question, even if subtly, the tightness of the controlled environment.
The 36-year-old Saha, who represents Sunrisers Hyderabad, was among the players who contracted the dreaded virus before the IPL stumbled to an abrupt halt midway into its 14th season.
Saha spoke about the bio-bubble breach in India and said that it would have been better if the IPL was held in the UAE.
“It is the job of the stakeholders to assess it, but the only thing I would say is that there was not a single individual during our training in UAE (last year), not even ground staff.
“Here, there would be people, kids peeping from nearby walls. I don’t want to comment much but we saw how the IPL went off smoothly in the UAE in 2020 and then it started in India this year with cases on the rise,” said
Saha. The Bengal veteran reached his home in Kolkata after completing a fortnight-long quarantine at a Delhi hotel to make himself available for selection for the upcoming England tour.
On the bio-bubble he added, “I don’t know what would have happened, but definitely I feel it would have been better off in the UAE this time as well. It is for the stakeholders to look into it.” Saha had tested positive for COVID-19 on May 4, the day the 2021 edition of the tournament was suspended indefinitely.
Saha said that he has fully recovered now and is not feeling any weakness. “I am doing all normal activities, there is no fatigue, body ache or any weakness. But I will get to know how my body is coping when I get into actual match training mode.” Recalling his battle with the virus, he said: “I had slight fever for the first couple of days, lost smell after five days but it returned within four days.
“It was about spending time with family, friends (virtually), catching up with some light-hearted movies and keeping myself in a good space. I was never mentally disturbed or down.’’