Veda Krishnamurthy's sister succumbs to COVID-19
In yet another heartbreaking news, Indian cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy’s elder sister, Vatsala Shivakumar, has passed away due to COVID-19 complications. The tragedy occurred just a couple of weeks after the middle-order batter lost her mother in similar circumstances.
Vatsala Shivakumar had been suffering from the disease since last month. She was reportedly admitted to a hospital in Chikmagalur, around 245 kilometers from Bengaluru. Vatsala is also understood to have shown signs of improvement earlier this week but breathed her last around 6 pm on Wednesday.
Veda Krishnamurthy's former coach Irfan Sait posted a story about the unfortunate incident on Instagram. Earlier, Veda Krishnamurthy had tweeted about her mother’s demise, saying the family was praying for her sister's recovery.
“Appreciate all the messages I have received about the loss of my Amma. As you can imagine my family is lost without her. We now pray for my sister. I have tested negative & appreciate if you can respect our privacy. My thoughts & prayers go out to those going through the same!” she wrote.
India is going through a ravaging second wave of COVID-19 with new cases and deaths piling up almost every day. Over 4 lakh cases were recorded throughout the country on Wednesday.
Amid this wave, the IPL 2021 was also suspended indefinitely. Quite a few cricketers and support staff had caught the infection while being in the bio-secure bubble and most of them are currently under isolation.
Veda Krishnamurthy is one of India's best batters
Veda Krishnamurthy made her debut in 2011 against England and since then, has represented India in 48 ODIs and 76 T20s. She was also part of the team that represented the country in the 2017 Women’s World Cup, drawing praise from all corners for her batting. Krishnamurthy has gone on to become one of the best batters in T20 as well.