Times could not have been more challenging for the inaugural Bengal T20 Challenge. Set to begin on Tuesday, 24 November, the organisers, Cricket Association of Bengal had to overcome a myriad of administrative challenges to make the tournament happen. With India registering a new surge in Covid-19 cases post the festive season, the tournament looked in jeopardy, but strict guidelines, sanitisation protocols and bio-bubble measures have meant that the 33-match tournament will run its course of 16 days.
Despite being a local tournament, a lot is at stake. With virtually no cricket played throughout the year, this could be a case for several players to make their case for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy early next year.
“This is a great opportunity for the youngsters and the players,” Arun Lal, who coached Bengal to Ranji Trophy final last season had told Times of India.
OneCricket caught up with Bengal spinner Shreyan Chakraborty ahead of the tournament and he gave us a glimpse of how is life in a bio-bubble and what he has been up to ahead of the tournament.
Q. The bio bubble must be new for you, how does it feel?
Getting to stay at a hotel in my own city (laughs), it feels nice. The CAB is taking care of their players well. If one player gets affected, panic ensues. They have organised this in such a manner that the players can be in a safety bubble. It feels great to stay in such a good facility and looking forward to the games more than anything.
Q. Could you explain to our readers how the bio-bubble works?
There are six teams that have been fitted in 2 floors of this hotel. There are 40 odd rooms with 2 players staying in each room along with the CAB staff, ACU and the media. We are living inside of our rooms for three days in quarantine. Regular Covid-19 tests are being done. It has become like a school exam (laughs). We are joking about if we will pass today or not.
Q. What was the process that you had to go through while entering the bubble and what all has CAB provided for your comfort?
There was through sanitisation process during the check-in in the morning and we had testing done on the same day. We got the results of the test yesterday (22 November) and we had testing done once again today morning. We’ve been staying inside our room since.
Q. How does it feel to return to competitive cricket after such a long break?
It’s a feeling that I've longed for. It’s been so long that I have not played cricket, the longest that I have had to wait since I started playing. It feels good to get back into the ground and what better stage could it be than the Bengal T20 Challenge.
It’s just a matter of a few hours now.
Q. What have you been up to in the bio-bubble?
Oh, my PlayStation. It's my saviour (laughs).
Q. Multiple players including Bengal Ranji Trophy captain have tested positive for Covid-19, does that worry you?
The CAB is doing everything it can and abiding by every rule. It is unfortunate that Abhimanyu tested positive, but he can still come into the tournament in the later stage, so fingers crossed for that. For me, I am just concentrating on the cricket part right now and I think it is great that Bengal’s best T20 cup will be played with the best players in the land. The competition will be right up there and it will be a great tournament to watch.
You can catch Shreyan play for Calcutta Customs in the Bengal T20 Challenge on Fancode app. The match starts at 4 pm IST.
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