Talha Kamal
One week ago, the 27-year-old Bangladesh pacer Abu Jayed Rahi was infected with Covid-19. Rahi is currently isolated in a room on the third floor of the BCB Academy building.
From the academy building, everyday Rahi tries to inspect and listen what his national team teammates are doing during team’s practice session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. However, currently the cricketers are not practicing as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) gave them a three-day break as the scheduled Sri Lanka tour got postponed.
Rahi is the most successful fast bowler of Bangladesh in the last two years, taking maximum 24 wickets. He is also the first choice of team management among fast bowlers in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. But now he is spending time alone in isolation. The Bangladesh team's tour of Sri Lanka has not been confirmed yet. Even if the series happens the Tigers are likely to depart for the island nation on 8-10 October.
“Looks like the Sri Lanka tour has postponed so that I can return,” Rahi jokingly said this during an interview through his cell phone on Saturday.
Rahi said, “I can't even go out of my room because of corona," Rahi feels worse at the moment as he has been so careful and cautious of corona for the last six months, but was still infected with it just before joining the team practice. The Bangladesh pacer does not understand how this invisible harmful microorganism has entered his body.
“I practiced alone. It is difficult to say how I got infected. This is a very bad time for me, just before joining the camp, I got infected. After the corona test, I heard that my result came as positive. The doctors said that I would test negative during the second test on the 22nd. But I still tested positive. My current corona symptoms are loss of smell and cold. There are no other symptoms.”
However, Rahi still has cricket on his mind, “The hunger for bowling is still as intense as ever. I think of cricket all day, I also think of cricket while going to sleep. Sometime I even try to bowl Tamim and Mominul in my imagination.”
Rahi will be tested again on September 30. If he is tested negative, then he can join the practice sessions. In these difficult days, Abu Zayed Rahi is learning how to stay mentally strong. However, he is sceptical about how long he will be able to stay strong, “I am still strong. But it will be difficult to stay mentally strong for more than a week.”
