'I was locked in my room immediately, food was left outside' - Michael Hussey on his experience while battling COVID-19 in India

Former Australian cricketer Michael Hussey has gone down the memory lane to the time when he was batting COVID-19 earlier this year. During the first leg of the 2021 Indian Premier League, the veteran was tested positive for coronavirus when he was working as the assistant coach of the Chennai Super Kings. CSK bowling coach Laxmipathy Balaji also contracted the ungodly virus.

Before leaving for the IPL, Hussey was going through a mental quandary after which he chose his commitment towards the Super Kings and his profession. Hussey said that he had to go through a mandatory seven-day quarantine period upon reaching India before he could join the team, led by MS Dhoni.

I was isolated, a bit worried and feeling progressively worse, says Michael Hussey

“I felt uneasy when the time came to leave Perth earlier this year to coach with the Chennai Super Kings at the Indian Premier League. ‘Why am I leaving one of the safest places in the world?’ But I love my job and I had made a commitment to coach at the IPL.

“So, despite my nervousness, I flew to India and embarked on the mandatory seven-day quarantine which was a prerequisite for entering the IPL bubble,” Hussey told Fox Sports.

Hussey recalled how he was locked inside his hotel room when he was staying in isolation after being infected with COVID-19. The retired batter told that coughing and constant sweating didn’t help his cause during that time. Later, Hussey was also airlifted to CSK’s base in Chennai. He was taken in a body bag to a different hospital for further treatment.

“I was locked in my room immediately. No one could come in, and I obviously couldn’t leave. Food was left outside my door like in quarantine. I was isolated, a bit worried and feeling progressively worse. My symptoms: I had a bad fever to the point where I was changing my shirt four or five times a night from sweating out. I had a relentless dry, barking cough,” he added.

Back in May, the IPL 2021 had to be postponed for an indefinite time period due to the emergence of COVID-19 in the camps. The second half of the event took place in September-October.