Veda Krishnamurthy, Chetan Sakariya and other crickets who lost family members due to COVID-19
Players like Veda Krishnamurthy and Chetan Sakariya lost family members to coronavirus.
India recorded around 3,66,000 fresh COVID-19 cases in a day, which pushed the tally to 2,26,62,575, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Monday. The death count climbed to 2,46,116 with 3,754 daily deaths, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Due to the rise in coronavirus cases in India, the country saw the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) postponing the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has categorically ruled out the possibility of the rest of the 14th edition taking place in India.
While this news surely got cricket fans sad, but what was more saddening to see was how the virus has affected the families of Indian cricketers. Many even lost their battle to COVID-19.
Players like Veda Krishnamurthy and Chetan Sakariya lost family members to coronavirus.
Piyush Chawla's father Pramod Kumar Chawla passed away on Monday (May 10) due to COVID-19 complications. "Life won't be the same without him anymore, lost my pillar of strength today," Chawla captioned a post on Instagram.
"With the deepest grief, we announce that my beloved father, Pramod Kumar Chawla, left for the heavenly abode on 10th May 2021. He was suffering from covid and post covid complications. We invite your kind thoughts and prayers in these difficult times. May his noble soul rest in peace," Chawla said in a statement on Instagram.
Team India's cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy's sister died of COVID-19 on Thursday (May 6). Krishnamurthy herself had tested negative last month but her sister Vatsala had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Indian all-rounder had lost her mother, Cheluvamba Devi, to the deadly virus two weeks ago in similar circumstances. Her former coach Irfan Sait posted about the same on his Instagram story.
Earlier, Veda Krishnamurthy had informed everyone of her mother's passing on Twitter. "Appreciate all the messages I have received about the loss of my Amma. As you can imagine my family is lost without her. We now pray for my sister. I have tested negative & appreciate if you can respect our privacy. My thoughts & prayers go out to those going through the same!”
Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Chetan Sakariya's father Kanjibhai Sakariya died due to COVID-19 at a hospital in Bhavnagar on Sunday (May 9). He was 42-years-old and was battling the infection for the past few days.
The Saurashtra Cricket Association condoled the demise, saying "Everyone at Saurashtra Cricket Association is deeply saddened on the sad demise of cricketer Chetan Sakariya's father."
"Saurashtra Cricket Association conveys heartfelt condolences to Chetan and prays to the Almighty to give enough strength to everyone in his family to bear the loss and grant eternal peace to the departed noble soul," the cricket body said in a brief statement.
Chetan Sakariya had early this year had also lost his brother, but to suicide. Sakariya's younger brother committed suicide earlier this year just ahead of the IPL 2021 mini-auction.
Former Test batsman Chetan Chauhan died on August 16, 2020, following complications due to COVID-19, his family had said. He was 73.
The two-time former BJP Lok Sabha MP from Amroha was the Home Guard minister in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet. He had tested positive a month before and was shifted to a Gurugram hospital after his condition worsened.
"My elder brother Shri Chetan Chauhan has left us today after fighting a good battle. I sincerely thank everyone who had prayed for his recovery. His son Vinayak will be reached anytime and we will then perform last rites," his brother Pushpendra had told PTI.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had lost one of his close friends and former teammate Vijay Shirke due to coronavirus.
The former Mumbai paceman who had played with the cricket 'Master Blaster' and Vinod Kambli, succumbed to coronavirus-related complications at a Thane hospital on December 20, 2020, night. He was 57.
In October this year, Tendulkar had lost another close friend, Avi Kadam, due to COVID-19.
KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy had played 7 matches this season and had tested positive ahead of his team's clash against RCB on Monday. The match had to be rescheduled for the same reason. 30-year-old Sandeep Warrier was the second KKR player to test COVID-19 positive.
Delhi Capitals (DC) spinner Amit Mishra was moved to a designated medical care facility after he tested positive for coronavirus. The franchise medical team is in constant touch with Mishra and is ensuring his safety. The side also wished Mishra a speedy recovery.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha too had tested positive for coronavirus hours ahead of his team's match against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Delhi on Tuesday. He played 2 matches in IPL 2021 and scored 8 runs.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey has also tested positive for COVID-19. This after bowling coach L Balaji tested positive on Monday.