ICT ONE-SHOTS (FRIENDSHIP)

Self appointed diagnoser (Virat-Jassi)

It began with Jassi sneezing three times in a row in the practice session when he had gone to fetch his pad and helmet from the pile of equipment (yes, Virat had insisted that the tailenders needed to learn to block).

Of course, he panicked straightaway and looked around frantically if he'd been 6 feet away from all his teammates. Much to his relief, he was.

He was debating whether to shout and ask Virat bhaiya what he should do when another fit of sneezes came, so violent that he had to kneel down for a while.

And that, of course, decided it. He needed to quarantine himself immediately.

"VIRAT BHAIYA!" Jassi shouted down the field.

"WHAT?" asked Virat.

"I'M NOT FEELING WELL, I'M GOING BACK TO MY ROOM!"

His voice cracked at the last word, and that made him even more terrified.

He was starting to have all the symptoms, and he had definitely come in contact with the whole team since morning.

Concern flashed over Virat's face. He started running in Jassi's direction, asking, "Will I take you upstairs—"

"No, no, don't" said Jassi hastily, and he turned tail and fled before Virat bhaiya could come any closer.

He paused on the way to grab a mask, fixed it on his face and did not stop till he reached his room, praying and praying that even if he had got COVID, none of the others had caught it from him.

*********

Virat stared after Jassi in astonishment, wondering why he had run, but Shami trudged up to him, complaining that they were insulting his blocking when he was quite a good batsman, and couldn't Virat stop them?

"Sure," sighed Virat, catching sight of Mayank and Rahul's girns. "Rahuliya, Mayu, are you insulting Shami's blocking?"

"He insulted my bowling action," said Mayank innocently.

"Shami, did you—wait—" Virat turned to Mayank. "You have a bowling action?" he demanded.

Mayank expressed outrage at Virat's question, and amidst the circus, Virat made a mental note to go and visit Jassi's room as soon as the practice session ended.

**********

When the team trooped into the hotel, tired (and the bowler, disgruntled) after the practice session, one of the support staff casually told them that Jassi was running a high fever, and had been shifted to the adjacent wing.

"Why'd they shift him?" asked Virat, even more astnoished.

"Because," said Rahul. "That's the obvious rule."

They started for the room they were sharing (Mayank was with Aashita, of course, and Anushka wasn't there).

"What?" said Virat. "Shift someone because they have a fever?"

"Virat!" said Rahul, exasperated. "Obviously they have to isolate him if he has got any symptom at all of COVID, that's why wwe're being quarantined in the hotel, remember?"

Virat gaped.

"JASSI HASN'T GOT COVID!"

"I hope he hasn't, too."

"Hope? Hope! He hasn't got COVID!" said Virat.

"I'm sure they're making him take a test, so we'' get to know in a couple of days," said Rahul patiently.

"TEST?"

"VIRAT!" cried Rahul, wishing he wouldn't shout in his ears, and also that he would stop being so pigheaded. "It's hardly a big deal, Mandy was tested before the IPL, too, and so were some of the others—and Deepak actually caught it and recovered swiftly, stop freaking!"