Ravichandran Ashwin Talks About His Experience In Dubai Amid COVID-19 Restrictions

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin landed in Dubai ahead of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After plying his trade for and captaining Kings XI Punjab for two years, Ravichandran Ashwin will don the jersey of Delhi Capitals. The veteran off-spinner drew a hilarious comparison of the protocols followed in Dubai in the wake of the ongoing pandemic.

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Ravichandran Ashwin has remained in the news for some time now. The 33-year old’s mankading episode last year was rehashed by Delhi Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting, who was not in support of the mode of the dismissal. However, Ashwin has remained ingrained on abiding with that as it falls within the rules of the game. For Ashwin, the target will also be to put performances good enough to guide the franchise to their maiden title.

The 33-year old conceded that they both shared the flight with Sunrisers Hyderabad and got nervous since he had not seen plenty of people in a long time. However, he felt relieved since everyone tested negative and revealed wearing only a mask and visor and no PPE kits.

“Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers left for Dubai in a chartered flight. It had been months since I saw so many people. It did make me hesitate, but since everyone, Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers, had tested negative, I had faith. I didn’t wear PPE kit on this flight. Just a mask and visor.” Ashwin stated in his Youtube channel.

Ashwin recalled landing in Dubai, which was usually festive. However, on this occasion, the atmosphere was silencing and no shops open and felt heartbroken.

“Then we landed in Dubai. Dubai Airport generally looks festive. It is always buzzing. So many shops and people. But no one was there. No shop was open. It was heartbreaking to see but this is how things are,” the off-spinner asserted.

“They made us sit separately at counters” : Ravichandran Ashwin

The 71-Test veteran added that social distancing was implemented by making them sit at separate cubicles. The officers progressed to check their visas and tested them for COVID-19 in two ways.

“They made us sit separately at counters. We followed social distancing. Officers checked our visas. Then in a separate cubicle, they test for coronavirus in two ways. One is throat swab and the other is nasal swab,” the 33-year old claimed.

Ravichandran Ashwin continued saying that they had to get approvals, submit certificates, and had not done so much paperwork since his class XII Board exams.

“Then you get instant approval, like getting receipts from ration stores. The last time I filled out so many papers was during my Class XII Board exams. After submitting all certificates, we got the green light,” he added.

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