Mumbai: One of the 23 Indian Cricketers on a ongoing English tour has been positively tested for Covid-19 during a 20-day break and will not travel with the team to Durham on Thursday.
While the tour party in England tightly had the name of the player, understood that he had suffered a Delta variant which has led to the increase in the number of cases there.
The news came after Secretary BCCI Jay Shah recently sent an email to the Indian contingent in the UK who warned him about the increasing Covid-19 case.
This side is to reinstall in Durham in bio-bubbles ahead of the test series against England next month.
The Indian team will leave London on Thursday and go to Durham, two and a half hours from Trent Bridge, the venue for the first test match against England, to play two warm-up matches.
The first is the four-day match scheduled for the Joint District of XI starting July 20, followed by intra-squad games in the last week.
On July 30, the Indian team will travel to Nottingham.
Indian Cricketers – who have received their first dose from the AstraZeneca vaccine in India before flying out – also got their second dose in England earlier this month.
Given the curation of Covid cases recently in England, team members moved away from attending the Euro 2020 final at Wembley and the Wimbledon final on this Sunday.
Despite having a match ticket for British-Italian clashes, the team decided to watch the match from the boundaries of the hotel.
A good reason to do it also because the email taken Shah to team members last week, asked them to ensure that all covid-related protocols were being taken and places were avoided in any way.
“I believe you and your family members are fine and enjoy a break three weeks before the tour starts.
I have known the Coronavirus situation in England.” While vaccination drives will advance in full steam, there has been a sharp increase in the number of positive cases recorded every day.
“A very good BCCI work relationship with the ECB has enabled us to provide both vaccines to you and your family members,” Shah wrote.
However, he continued to add the letter that while the vaccine increased a person’s “battle capacity” against the virus, it did not guarantee total immunity or total resistance.
“In fact, the new variant spread quickly, and we did not come out of the danger zone.
You might realize that the ECB was forced to take another team to play against Pakistan and even the white ball series between India and Sri Lanka.
White balls must be postponed, the player told BCCI Have asked the team to “understand the situation gravity, follow the protocol and remain in the team environment, which is more controlled”.
“Also, except for poor injury to Shubhman (Gill), all the rest.
23 members are available for selection, which is a good sign.
What was fun was the way Abhimanyu Easwaran found his legs in the team.
He will hit the net starting that day and we will get to know a little more about him from the perspective of this series, “said those who trace developments.