Couldn't sleep for 8-9 days during IPL, had to pullout: Ashwin recalls his family's fight with COVID
Mumbai: Ravichandran Ashwin had "sleepless nights" inside the IPL bio-bubble when most of his family members were suffering from COVID-19 and said he "had to" leave the tournament midway to help his close ones fight the deadly virus.
Ashwin is now back in another bubble, this time with the Indian team which leaves for a 104-day UK trip on June 2.
"I couldn't sleep for almost 8-9 days. Since I couldn't sleep, it was really stressful for me. I was playing matches without getting any sleep. And since I found it really taxing, I had to quit IPL and go home midway.
"In fact, when I left around at that time, I had thoughts on whether I will be able to play cricket thereafter. But still, I did what was required at that point of time," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The IPL was eventually suspended after multiples cases were found in its bio-bubble.
Talking about the ongoing 14-day quarantine in Mumbai, Ashwin gave an idea of Indian team's life in the protected environment.
"It's really difficult, guys. It might look from the outside that we are staying at a luxurious five-star hotel. But it is not that easy. Like I said earlier, it is not 7 days, but 14-days quarantine," the star spinner said.
"So, basically, we came here on 19th and we are leaving to England on only June 2 from Mumbai. So, basically, we will finish our 14-day quarantine here in India. And we will have a test here every two days once," Ashwin said.
Ashwin also explained that bubble breach doesn't mean that someone has entered the bubble.
"Many of you would have heard about the term bio-bubble breach. Bio-bubble breach doesn't mean someone from outside has entered the bubble. This is a virus and we still don't know how it enters."
While most of the Indian players have received their first jabs, Ashwin has got two jabs of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
Ashwin also narrated the experience of reaching Mumbai bubble from his Chennai residence.
"The way we reached Mumbai in itself was a different experience. With each passing day, the struggle is only getting worse. Hopefully, you will get joy as we play. Seven days quarantine, three tests in seven days and after that, we can practice. It is difficult, but when compared to what people are going through, it's nothing," he said.
"From Chennai, we took one charter flight. Before taking the charter, we had to take three (RT-PCR) tests. There were three tests on May 14th, 16th and 18th and we (his family) left from Chennai on May 19."
"From Chennai, next we landed in Hyderabad. Fielding coach R Sridhar, Indian women's captain Mithali Raj and others also joined us. The flight that took off at 2 pm from Chennai, landed in Mumbai at 6 pm on May 19th."
Ashwin also recollected how the weather impacted their chartered flight.
"The flight was there in the runway for a while and the reason was that was due to the heavy rains on that particular day, the bus that was supposed to pick-up one of the players got stuck.
"And to arrange another bus, the driver should have been in the bubble and they should also sanitize the bus and since these problems were also there. It took one to one and half hours and after that, we got picked in another bus. We came here and checked-in at the hotel."
After seven days of room quarantine, Ashwin is now allowed to hit the gym.
"So, I have my done my first gym session on the 25th. They have made the equipment available in our rooms too. The gymnasium has been made ready for us. Everyone have been allotted different time slots."
We will play a practice game, says Ashwin
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
20 years on, Chhota Rajan acquitted in builder threat case as prosecution fails to prove charge
Mumbai, May 11 (PTI): In a setback for CBI, gangster Chhota Rajan was acquitted by a special court two decades after he was booked for threatening a builder, with the judge noting the prosecution has failed to prove the charge as nothing incriminatory was found during witnesses' testimonies.
The gangster will, however, continue to remain in the Tijar Jail where he is serving a life term for the murder of Mumbai-based crime reporter J Dey.
While acquitting Chhota Rajan on Thursday, special judge AM Patil of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court noted that the most reliable witness of the prosecution is not certain whether the person who had called him on the phone to threaten the builder was indeed Chhota Rajan.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which investigated the case, stated that real estate developer Nandkumar Harchandani had received multiple threats in the name of Chhota Rajan, asking him to clear the dues he purportedly owed to some businessmen.
The prosecution maintained Harchandani had invited displeasure of the accused (Chhota Rajan) in the matter of payment of money who hatched a plan to teach a lesson to the builder.
Rajan, through his accomplices, had allegedly told Harchandani to stop work at the construction site, it said.
In September 2004, seven unidentified persons entered Harchandani's office and fired at his accountant, but he escaped narrowly.
The court stated that nothing incriminatory against the present accused came on record during the testimonies of two eyewitnesses examined by the prosecution.
"The most reliable witness against the present accused is Irshad Shaikh, who received Rajan's alleged call about the threat. But, during his cross-examination, he admitted that he is not certain whether the person who made the call was 'Chhota Rajan' or somebody else. This is the crucial admission given by this witness, which goes to the very roots of the case," the judge stated.
"In sum and substance, it can be said that the prosecution has failed to prove the guilt of the accused," the court added.
