The bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings, Lakshmipathy Balaji, who tested positive for Covid-19 while he was with the side in the IPL 2021, said that the isolation period after contracting the virus felt like going through an episode of Man vs Wild. He said that phase took both a mental and physical toll on him.
“As I was isolating on my own having tested positive for Covid-19, a thought crossed my mind: recovering from Covid-19, both physically and mentally, is like experiencing an episode of Man vs Wild,” Balaji said ESPNcricinfo.
Going back in time when he was infected with the virus, Balaji said that he had felt uneasiness and some covid-19 related symptoms such as body ache some six days after arriving in Delhi from Mumbai. He said that the positive result of Covid-19 left him in shock as he had not done anything to put both himself and his teammates at risk.
“On May 2, I was feeling a bit of uneasiness. I had body ache and a mild nose block. I was tested the same day around mid-afternoon. By May 3 morning, I had tested positive. I was shocked. I had done nothing to breach the norms to endanger my and rest of the bubble's safety,” Balaji added.
Three members of the Chennai Super Kings franchise including Balaji, batting coach Michael Hussey and CEO Kashi Vishwanathan had tested positive for Covid-19 before the tournament was abruptly postponed by the BCCI.