Varun Chakraborty, spinner from the Kolkata Knight Riders has said that he still hasn’t recovered completely from COVID-19 and is very weak and dizzy due to which he can’t resume his training.
Chakraborty was the first of the four KKR and the IPL 2021 players who were tested positive for COVID-19 after a breach in IPL bio-bubble. After which the entire tournament got postponed indefinitely.
“I’m now doing well and recovering at home. I still haven’t been able to resume training at full-tilt because of post-Covid-19 symptoms. Although I don’t have a cough or fever, there is weakness and dizziness. The loss of smell and taste is still intermittent, but I’m confident of being able to resume training soon,” said the bowler who was picked in the India limited-overs squad for the tour of Australia but had to pull out due to injury.
The 29-year-old is also eyeing for his spot in the Indian squad for the upcoming Sri Lankan tour in July but he has stated that his mind distracted during COVID-19 which is a big challenge since he is away from the game and his family.
“The toughest thing about contracting Covid-19 is keeping your mind distracted, and away from all that was happening. Because you are alone, away from your family and teammates. To keep myself occupied, I read books by Osho to give me a sense of calm,” he told espncricinfo.com.
Apart from Chakravarthy, pace bowlers Sandeep Warrier and M Prasidh Krishna as well as New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert also tested positive for the virus.
The Tamil Nadu spinner said, “I felt something was slightly off on May 1. I felt tired. There was no cough whatsoever, but I had a little fever, so I didn’t attend our training session. I immediately informed the team management and they arranged for an RT-PCR test quickly. I was immediately quarantined and isolated, away from the rest of my KKR teammates, in a separate wing of the hotel. Soon, I found out that I’d tested positive.”
“I was in isolation for 12 days. There’s a bit of sameness to your routine: being in the same room, having the same food almost. But I just had to find ways to get through the day. I’d wake up late, around 9 am, have a light breakfast, then begin my web shows and movies marathon on Netflix and Amazon Prime. In between, I’d catch up with cousins and friends over video calls. After lunch, I’d take my medicines and speak to my family. Thankfully, they handled the situation calmly.”
