Tye departed Rajasthan Royals’ camp on Sunday, with compatriots Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa – both of whom were playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore – also exiting
Australian seamer Andrew Tye admitted he felt relieved to be home after taking the decision to leave the Indian Premier League amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the country.
Tye departed Rajasthan Royals’ camp on Sunday, with compatriots Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa – both of whom were playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore – also exiting.
Speaking to BBC’s Stumped podcast, Tye explained the contrast between the IPL’s protection and India’s wider society, where there have been more than 300,000 cases in the last 24 hours.
“Inside the bubble it’s incredibly safe and we are very well looked after,” he said. “It’s just the craziness of what's going on outside of it, which we get incredibly well sheltered from, that’s a bit harrowing.
“You can drive through the streets and not see any of it but then you look on the news and you see what's happening and it’s just stark in comparison to what they are actually saying.
“Obviously the Covid situation over here is pretty dire. I just felt, rocking up to training and stuff, obviously I wasn’t playing in the team as well, I was going to training and I wasn’t finding the motivation.”
An email to all individuals from BCCI interim chief executive Hemang Amin, seen by The Guardian, has attempted to calm the fears of players and insisted that the tournament has a key role to play as the country attempts to deal with a rise in infections and a lack of oxygen in hospitals.
“If even for a minute, you can bring a smile on someone’s face, then you have done well,” he wrote. “While you are professionals and will play to win, this time you are also playing for something much more important … humanity.”
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