Sports Desk, AnyTV, New Delhi
Published by: swapnil shashank
Updated Wed, 23 Feb 2022 09:02 AM IST
Summary
This is the case when India’s youth team reached Port of Spain in West Indies via Amsterdam from Dubai. Young star players like star left-arm fast bowler Ravi Kumar and opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi were instructed to go back to India for not being vaccinated.
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Expansion
Corona caused a lot of damage not only in ordinary life, but also in sports. Many tournaments were cancelled, while many were postponed. Even cricket could not escape it. In the recently held U-19 World Cup, seven star players of India were denied entry to the West Indies and they were stopped at the airport for more than 24 hours. The authority there wanted that the Government of India should intervene on this matter and settle the matter. However, later this matter was resolved and Team India emerged as the champion.
Players like Ravi Kumar and Angkrish were stopped
This matter arose when India’s youth team reached Port of Spain in West Indies via Amsterdam from Dubai. Young star players like star left-arm fast bowler Ravi Kumar and opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi were instructed to go back to India for not being vaccinated. Team manager Lobjang Ji Tenzing then defended the team with the help of his teammates present in the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India. He later settled the matter with the help of the Government of India and Trinidad.
Team manager narrates scary experience
Recalling this frightening experience, Tenzing told news agency PTI- When we landed in Port of Spain, we had to take a charter flight to Guyana. At that time seven of our players were stopped at the airport because they did not take the vaccine dose. We told the officials there that India has not yet started giving vaccines to people who are 18 or younger. Responding to this, the officials there asked to catch the next flight and return to India.
The players stayed overnight in the hotel near the airport
Tenjing said- Airport security staff had gathered around us and we felt that we should run away from here. When the debate started, the only Lufthansa flight to India had left and the next flight was three days later. This gave us time. Instead of going with the rest of the players, I decided to stay with those seven players. We stayed there that night at Shady Hotel near the airport. After this the matter was resolved after the intervention of the ICC and the local government there. It was a scary experience.
Five Indian players found corona infected in the tournament
Tenzing is currently the chief of the Sikkim Cricket Association. This incident happened in the first week of January. Then India had already approved the vaccine for people aged 15-18 years. However, after the start of the World Cup, the players had to face difficulties. Five players, including Indian captain Yash Dhul and vice-captain Sheikh Rashid, were found to be corona infected after their first match in the tournament. However, after two matches, Dhul and Rashid made a comeback and helped the team to become the champions.
Why did Indian players get corona?
Tenzing also told the players the reason behind getting corona. He said – There is every possibility that this disease came because of our SLO. He got corona infected while catching a flight from Dubai. From this it spread in the camp. It takes 48 hours for the RTPCR test report to come out and this caused trouble. When the players got corona in Guyana, that time was also very difficult.
Negligence regarding health services in West Indies
Tenzing said – During Corona, we were not helped with medical aid or medicine. Our team physio helped a lot and defended us. In the hotel where we stayed, there were no separate floors for the team. We stayed on the same floor as other hotel guests. No person was present even to check the isolation period. There was also a water problem in the hotel and the players were also facing problems in getting food.
India defeated England in the World Cup final
Tenjing said – It was a matter of happiness for us that there was a hotel of Indian cuisine nearby. I can say this State Cricket Association of India and BCCI when hosting a tournament, their bio-bubble is much better than the bio-bubble of the Under-19 World Cup in West Indies. The Indian team had performed wonderfully in the Under-19 World Cup and the team remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. After winning all three of their group stage matches, India defeated Bangladesh in the quarter-finals, Australia in the semi-finals and England in the final.