Coronavirus has changed the way the world used to operate and as the World Health Organisations (WHO) says the deadly virus is here to stay. News of new vaccines being discovered pops up every other day but somewhere deep inside our heart we know that not any vaccine but our habits will decide everything in the future.
Habitual changes are the need of the hour and we as citizens of the earth may collectively bring it to keep the world moving. Since time immemorial, sports is known to set examples and be the torchbearer in times of crisis. Anecdotes of wars being stopped for football matches are famous and the future will similarly talk about large stadiums with over 1,00,000 sitting capacity remaining vacant even in a Champions League final due to Covid-19.
Football has comparatively worked well to bounce back as the incomplete seasons of Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga and Champions League got completed successfully. The teams and their players should be lauded for the manner they followed the Covid-19 protocols. Europe was one of the most badly-affected region due to the coronavirus, also football is a melting pot of cultures with players from different countries and cultures playing in a team as one. But the way these leagues pulled off the matches amidst these extraordinary times is commendable.
Like other sports, Cricket also resumed after a 117-day hiatus and it also did not disappoint. England beautifully hosted a very supporting West Indies team. The only glitch came in the form of Jofra Archer who breached the bio-secure bubble and in return was dropped from the 2nd Test on the morning of the match. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) set a solid example there.
Pakistan was the next team to visit England. There was chaos for Pakistan team management before leaving for the tour. 10 Pakistan players tested positive for the virus and were sent in isolation before flying to England but once the series started everyone took the coronavirus protocols seriously and nothing major happened. This time the only exception was Mohammad Hafeez who took a picture with an elderly lady at a golf court. This time PCB displayed the correct example by asking the veteran all-rounder to self-isolate himself.
Likewise, Ireland had a successful limited-overs series with England and now Australia is in the UK to play 6 white-ball matches. What should be noted here is that no player from any team tested positive for the virus after testing negative initially and landing in the host country. Carribean Premier League (CPL) is underway and is running smoothly as well.
Then what happened with the Chennai Super Kings?
Indian Premier League, the kings of all the T20 leagues in the world received the biggest blow in cricket world in the coronavirus era. BCCI worked day in and out to frame the perfect protocol for the perfect execution of the cash-rich league but seems like players and team staff failed to perfectly follow or understand the protocols.
CSK have as many as 13 positive coronavirus cases in their camp. It's a big surprise considering they all have already arrived in UAE after testing negative for the virus and they were already in self-quarantine mode. From the prescribed 3 tests during the period, the positive results came only during the third test, that means they tested Covid-19 negative on 2 prior occasions after landing in the Gulf country (one at the airport). This raises some serious questions on the MS Dhoni-led team, which is known for its discipline and resilience. How did they contract the virus in the 3rd test? Did they break the quarantine rules?
CSK was the only team to hold a preparatory camp in India before leaving for UAE. The 6-day camp saw CSK players sweating it out in the middle but their social media pictures from the duration had no signs of masks on their faces. Even the picture which Suresh Raina posted while announcing his retirement had no signs of social distancing protocols being followed.
Players like Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Ajinkya Rahane arrived in the UAE with their PPE kits on. Cricketers from all the franchises had their masks on iside the flight as well (at least when they posed for a group picture) but the code wasn't followed by the Yellow Army. In fact, Deepak Chahar, one of the players to have tested positive for Covid-19, when pointed out by his younger brother and Mumbai Indians spinner Rahul Chahar about not following the social distancing norm said that people don't wear masks when with family
Everyone is wishing for a speedy recovery of Deepak Chahar but once he gets back on the field he should make sure that a better example is set. May be he should realise that government advisories have suggested home quarantines for even those who are visiting their families after months or years. Coronavirus doesn't differentiate, it attacks you even when you are with your family.
MS Dhoni is a legend of the game, may be he should have taken a leaf out of Adria Tour disaster. The exhibition tennis tournament organised by world number one and legend of his game Novak Djokovic had seen untimely actions by international players which put the general fans and public to shame. Unfortunately, dancing and playing games in pubs was 'part of the Tour' amid these extra-ordinary times. The result therefore, was not surprising, Djokovic along with 3 other players had contracted the virus and called for unwanted criticism and public shaming which is still on-going.
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