ICC U19 World Cup: 7 unvaccinated India gamers have been denied entry into West Indies and informed to return

The COVID-19 outbreak in its camp was not the one off-field problem the Indian crew overcame on its option to the U-19 World Cup triumph.

India’s issues started on arrival within the Caribbean islands, with as many as seven unvaccinated members of the aspect detained on the airport for greater than 24 hours, requiring the federal government to step in and resolve the difficulty.

This was after an extended flight from Dubai to Port-of-Spain through Amsterdam.

Left-arm pacer Ravi Kumar, who performed an enormous function within the crew’s unprecedented fifth World Cup triumph, and opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi have been among the many gamers who have been informed to “go back to India” as they weren’t jabbed.

Team supervisor Lobzang G. Tenzing, who got here to their rescue with the assistance of the ICC and colleagues within the BCCI, narrated the “harrowing experience” of the gamers. The Indian and Trinidad governments, too, needed to step in to resolve the scenario.

“After we landed at Port-of-Spain, we had to take a charter flight to Guyana but seven of our boys were stopped as they were not vaccinated. We tried to explain to the immigration officials that India had not started their vaccination yet but they instructed us to take the next flight out of the country,” Tenzing, who heads the Sikkim Cricket Association, informed PTI.

“We were surrounded by security guys of the airlines as if we would run away from there. And as the argument was on with airline and immigration officials, the only Lufthansa flight available had departed and the next one was after three days. That gave us time to negotiate with local authorities.

“I made a decision to stick with the boys and we needed to keep in a shady lodge close to the airport for the evening. It was solely after the intervention of ICC and native authorities the matter may very well be resolved. It was fairly a harrowing expertise for the boys,” he recalled.

This happened in the first week of January when India started the vaccination drive for the 15-18 age group.

In the Caribbean, for the biggest event of their lives, the players were inconsolable. It was not just five players, the entire administrative team went down with COVID.

The Indian contingent’s troubles in the Caribbean had only begun and soon after the detained players were allowed to join the team in Guyana, a COVID outbreak jeopardised the team’s participation in the tournament.

The squad did not have its captain, Yash Dhull and his deputy, Shaik Rasheed, for two of the three league games due to COVID-19.

The players testing positive only came to light before the second league game against Ireland but the virus in the camp came when the team’s SLO Ravindran returned a positive test during a five-day quarantine in Guyana.

Team manager Tenzing and the logistics manager then got infected, sending the contingent into an administrative crisis.

“In all likelihood, our SLO caught the virus on the best way to the Caribbean from Dubai the place we have been enjoying the Asia Cup. And steadily it unfold within the camp.

“The RTPCR test results would take as long as 48 hours and that contributed to the problem,” stated the Sikkim cricket chief, having performed the function of the troubleshooter.

“Tournament bio-bubble was a joke, the authorities were lethargic”

The ICC had organised the occasion with the assistance of Cricket West Indies. In a difficult time like this, the Caribbean was not the most effective place to organise a giant occasion just like the U-19 WC, felt Tenzing.

“It poses additional logistical issues and people were lethargic.”

The Indian crew had probably the most snug keep in Antigua the place they performed knockouts, and the hardest time in Guyana, the place they have been quarantined earlier than enjoying their opener towards South Africa.

“Our time in Guyana was tough, to say the least. When I and my colleagues were down with COVID, no medical help was provided, no doctor, no medicine. Our team physio came to our rescue. It was like a system failure.

“In the lodge we stayed there have been no separate flooring for groups. We have been staying on the identical flooring as the opposite lodge company. There was no person to man the isolation interval. The rooms didn’t have common operating water and gamers confronted meals points.

“Luckily, a few Indian restaurants close by helped us on that front. During practice games, the stadium had no water in the washrooms. I can safely say we, state units and the BCCI do a much better job staging domestic events in a bio-secure environment,” added Tenzing.