Krunal tests COVID positive; 2nd T20I postponed

• Eight Indian team members identified as close contacts

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

The second T20I between Sri Lanka and India scheduled to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium yesterday was postponed by a day to today (28 July), after one of the Indian players was found to be COVID positive.

A BCCI media statement states:

“Following the Rapid Antigen Tests conducted ahead of the match yesterday morning, India’s all-rounder Krunal Pandya was found to be positive.

“The medical teams have identified eight members as close contacts and the entire contingent was undergoing RT-PCR tests yesterday to ascertain any further outbreak in the squad.”

The postponement means that the second and third T20I will be played back-to-back on successive days. The third and final T20I at the same venue will go ahead as scheduled on 29 July.

There have been no reports of positive results among the Sri Lankan team.

On Sunday, the press box at the R. Premadasa Stadium was closed during the first T20I when an employee of Sri Lanka Cricket was found to be COVID positive during an antigen test carried out at the venue a few hours before the start of the match. Upon identification, SLC closed the press box as per the directions given by the Ministry of Health. However, the match went ahead as scheduled and India won by 38 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The latest development is set to impact two Indian players, Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav – two batsmen who were selected to join the Indian Test squad in England. Although the Sri Lanka leg of the tour will end as scheduled, the Indian team’s return home slotted for Thursday is likely to be delayed. Shaw and Yadav were due to travel to England at the end of the Sri Lankan tour.

India’s Test team in England too suffered from COVID setbacks with wicketkeeper/batsman Rishabh Pant joining the squad late in Durham after contracting the virus, and bowling coach Bharat Arun and cricketers Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Eswaran being forced into 10 days isolation after being deemed close contacts of training assistant Dayananda Garani who had tested positive.

Meanwhile, Andy Flower, brother of Sri Lanka batting coach Grant Flower has tested positive during The Hundred tournament in England.

Andy, who is the head coach of Trent Rockets, tested positive on Sunday along with two other members of his support staff. They are all currently undergoing 10 days in isolation.

Grant tested positive three days after the Sri Lanka team returned from their tour of England. A day later the team’s analyst G.T. Niroshan also tested positive, but the occurrences did not impact the Sri Lanka-India white ball series, which went ahead as scheduled. Both of them were moved to intermediate care facilities.