Shreyas, Dhawan, Gaikwad among Indian players to test positive for COVID-19 ahead of West Indies ODIs
A few members of the Indian cricket team, including batters Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad, have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the white-ball series against West Indies.
As per the protocols, the infected Indian players have been sent into isolation. According to a report in the Sportstar, the BCCI medical team is monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the Indian camp. The cricket board is also likely to name replacement players shortly.
The entire Indian team reached Ahmedabad on Monday after which they underwent mandatory tests that are conducted on arrival. The Men in Blue are scheduled to take on West Indies in three ODIs from February 6 to 11. All the one-dayers will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
8 Indian players Tested postive for COVID-19 including Dhawan, Ruturaj and Shreyas Iyer. (Source - Sportstar)
The one-dayers will be followed by three T20Is, scheduled to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata from February 16-20.
India-West Indies ODIs to be played behind closed doors amid COVID threat
The COVID-19 development in the Indian camp comes just a day after it was confirmed that the one-day series between the Men in Blue and the Windies will be played behind closed doors. The first ODI of the series will be a historic one since it will be the 1000th one-dayer for India. The hosts will also become the first international side to achieve the feat.
While sharing a tweet regarding the same, the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) mentioned that the special game will be played without a crowd owing to the COVID-19 scare. GCA’s tweet read:
"We are all set to host West Indies Tour of India ODI Series 2022. 1st ODI on 6th of Feb will be a very special and historic match as India will be playing it's 1000th ODI. Indian team will be the first cricket team in the world to achieve this feat.”
In a related tweet, the GCA added:
"Considering the current situation, all the matches will be played behind the closed doors.”
Considering the current situation, all the matches will be played behind the closed doors.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has allowed 75 percent crowd attendance for the subsequent T20I series in Kolkata.