Stuck in Dhanbad Shahbaz Nadeem Desperate To Go To Kolkata And Attend His Ailing Wife

Shahbaz Nadeem is one of the thousands of people who have been left stranded due to the onset of lockdown. India is currently under its second phase of lockdown to avert the rising proliferation of novel pandemic that is the coronavirus [COVID-19]. The first phase of lockdown started on March 25 after Prime Minister Narender Modi addressed the nation a day prior.

Shahbaz Nadeem is stuck at his in-laws place in Dhanbad and while the left-arm spinner did his bit by distributing essential commodities to more than 350 families in nearby slums, he is now desperately seeking help, so that he can go to Kolkata to attend to his ailing wife Saman Akhtar, so that she can undergo medical tests.

“She has fatty liver and is undergoing treatment for it for the past four-five months. She is taking medications as prescribed by the doctors but right now she is feeling weakness and nausea,” Shahbaz Nadeem told the New Indian Express.

The 30-year-old off-spinner had taken permission from the Dhanbad district administration and had left for Kolkata two days ago before he was stopped at the Jharkhand-Bengal border near Barakar.

“He was not allowed to enter West Bengal. Cops heard Nadeem patiently but told him that they cannot let them go. He apprised them of the medical condition of his wife but they did not relent as they believed it was not an emergency case,” SA Rahman, former secretary of the Dhanbad Cricket Association and Nadeem’s childhood coach, told the New Indian Express.

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Shahbaz Nadeem looking to seek West Bengal government’s help

Nadeem, who made his much-awaited Test debut for India in last years’ Test series against South Africa said that the hospitals in Dhanbad do not have the desired facilities for the tests that his wife is slated to undergo, besides revealing that he will try to talk to West Bengal government for help.

“She needs to undergo a few tests including MRI. I have enquired here in Dhanbad but hospitals do not have facility for all these tests. I have spoken to a few of my acquaintances and sought their help. I will also try to speak to the West Bengal government seeking its help,” Nadeem added.

The left-arm spinner would have been representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL but for the COVID-19 that forced the tournament to be postponed for an indefinite period of time.

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