According to a report by the Times of India, one of the favourites for fans of the Indian cricket team, Shardul Thakur reportedly travelled 700 kilometres between Ahmedabad and Jaipur to join the Mumbai team’s bio bubble ahead of their Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Rajasthan.
What would be a normal 80-minute flight journey turned out to a 10-hour road trip for the all-rounder due to the various travel restrictions imposed within the country, keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic.
While conversing with The Independent, Sanjay Naik, the secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) said, “We are helpless, we cannot do anything else in the current situation.”
“He will take the car at 5 am (on February 22) and should reach by evening in Jaipur. If we had chosen to fly him down he would have had to take three-day quarantine in Jaipur. This way he will be ready to play on Tuesday itself if he feels ok,” he added.
In case Thakur had taken a flight, he would have to go through quarantine for the next three days thereby missing the opportunity to play for Mumbai in the Pink city on Tuesday.
“To go from the Indian team’s bio-bubble to Mumbai’s bio-bubble directly and avoid quarantining, he couldn’t have taken a flight. So, he chose to travel by road. It speaks about his commitment to the Mumbai team,” TOI quoted a source near the cricketer.
The 29-year-old was however released from the Indian team ahead of India’s third Test against England at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, allowing him to play for Mumbai in the domestic tournament.
Overwhelmed by Thakur’s dedication and sense of duty as both an international and domestic player, his fanbase lauded his efforts on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/17off6/status/1363860780148432896
World's richest board & couldn't even arrange a private chopper for Lord Shardul. Absolute discourtesy!
— Rahul Sharma (@CricFnatic) February 22, 2021
On the other hand, Thakur is expected to return to Ahmedabad by March 1 as a part of the Indian squad to play the fourth and final Test of the series against England
