Days before the start of high-profile limited-overs series against the visiting West Indies, the Indian national cricket team has been hit hard by a COVID-19 breach in Ahmedabad. Three players -- Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer -- along with multiple non-coaching staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus.(More Cricket News)
The BCCI, in a release, confirmed the positive tests, and said that Mayank Agarwal has been added to India's ODI squad "after seven members, including three players of Team India (Senior Men) tested positive for COVID-19 following three rounds of RT-PCR testing."
The release also provided detailed updates:
"1) Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan and fast bowler Navdeep Saini’s (standby player) RT-PCR tests conducted on Monday (January 31st) have returned positive results.
2) Fielding Coach T. Dilip and Security Liaison Officer B. Lokesh’s RT-PCR tests conducted on Monday (January 31st) have returned positive results.
3) Batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad’s RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday (February 1st) has returned a positive result. He had tested negative during the first round of testing on Monday.
4) Batsman Shreyas Iyer and Sports Massage Therapist Rajeev Kumar’s RT-PCR tests conducted on Wednesday (February 2nd) have returned positive results. Both had tested negative in the first two rounds of testing."
The Indian team assembled in Ahmedabad on January 31 for the upcoming series and the members were going through a three-day isolation period. The team has been staying in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the city since Monday.
Call it prognostication from the BCCI, the Indian selectors had already named three reserves -- M Shahrukh Khan, R Sai Kishore, Rishi Dhawan.
Earlier in the day, the Windies have arrived in Ahmedabad, where the three ODI matches will be played on February 6, 9 and 11. The Windies are also staying in the same hotel as India.
If the series opener in Ahmedabad, which will also mark the return of skipper Rohit Sharma, goes ahead as planned, it will be India's 1000th ODI match.
The teams will then head to Kolkata for the T20 Internationals. Eden Gardens will host all three matches, on February 16, 18 and 20.
India will then host Sri Lanka for two Tests and three T20Is, starting February 25.
The 2022 edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) is likely to start soon after the Sri Lanka series, late March. But this development will be considered detrimental to BCCI's plans to host the world's premier T20 league in India.
