Shardul Thakur travels 700 km by car to play for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy

Shardul Thakur, the Indian fast bowler, going by reports, has travelled 700 kilometres by car to play for Mumbai in the ongoing edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The speedster, reportedly, travelled by car from Ahmedabad to Jaipur to join Mumbai’s bio-secure bubble ahead of the match against Rajasthan in Jaipur on Saturday, February 27 at the KL Saini Ground.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been several travel restrictions in the country. Thakur could have commuted in a flight in no more than 80 minutes. But because of the current situation, he had to take the 10-hour road trip to be present for the One Day domestic tournament.

Shardul Thakur took the car at 5 am on February 22

“We are helpless, we cannot do anything else in the current situation,” Sanjay Naik, the secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), was quoted as saying to The Independent.

Had he taken a flight, he would have been needed to serve a three-day quarantine period, which would have denied him an opportunity to play for Mumbai in the Pink City.

“He will take the car at 5 am (on February 22) and should reach by evening in Jaipur. If we had chosen to fly him down he would have had to take three-day quarantine in Jaipur. This way he will be ready to play on Tuesday itself if he feels ok,” he added.

“To go from the Indian team’s bio-bubble to Mumbai’s bio-bubble directly and avoid quarantining, he couldn’t have taken a flight. So, he chose to travel by road. It speaks about his commitment to the Mumbai team,” a source near Shardul told The Times of India.

Back in December-January, Shardul played for India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. He wasn’t a first-choice bowler for the hosts, but due to a series of injuries, he got his chance.

He got a chance in the final Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. In that game, he picked up three wickets and scored a sparkling 67 in the first innings. In the second, he returned with four wickets, guiding India to a series victory.