Seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin "couldn't sleep for eight-nine days" as his family members had contracted COVID-19 while he was still playing for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Last month, Ashwin took a break from the IPL before the tournament was postponed to extend support to his family members who were battling COVID-19.
"Almost everyone from my place had got affected due to COVID. In fact, a few of my cousins also got admitted and were serious and they somehow recovered," said Ashwin on his Youtube channel.
"I couldn't sleep for almost eight-nine 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," he added.
The India off-spinner also said he planned to return to IPL 2021 but the tournament was eventually postponed in the first week of May.
"In fact, when I left around 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. Anyway, after that, I thought there won't be any cricket for some time," said Ashwin.
"In between, when people in my house started recovering, I thought of coming back into the IPL and that's when IPL was called off," he added.
Ashwin is now with Team India as the Virat Kohli-led side is gearing up for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
After completing the two-week quarantine in Mumbai, the team will undergo another 10-day quarantine in the UK.
The second period will see them first undergo a hard quarantine before they take the field to train for the WTC final against New Zealand in Southampton, starting June 18.
The BCCI has ensured that the cricketers will get their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines in England under the guidance of the UK health department.
The BCCI has made a foolproof plan for the national team before they depart for the UK and arrangements were made for all the players to undergo three RT-PCR tests before assembling in Mumbai on May 19.
( With inputs from ANI )
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