India-West Indies Series: COVID strikes home team; three players, four support staff test positive

Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer are among the four players and as many Team India support staff who have tested positive for COVID infection
Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer are among the four players and as many Team India support staff who have tested positive for COVID infection.

India’s preparations for the home series against the West Indies have suffered a massive blow. Seven members of the contingent, who are slated to take on the Caribbeans in the three-match One Day International series opener, have tested positive for COVID infection. Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, reserve opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, reserve bowler Navdeep Saini and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, as well as four staff, have been ruled out of what is India’s 1,000th Test match.

All the infected people have been isolated and the medical staff of the Board of Control for Cricket in India is taking care of them. The team has been training in a bio-secure bubble at Ahmedabad, where the first Test will be played from February 6, Sunday.

The infected players and staff have been ruled out for at least the first two games as they will join the contingent after week-long isolation and two RT-PCR Tests.

The members were asked to report in Ahmedabad on 31st January 2022 for the upcoming Paytm three-match ODI and T20I series against the West Indies. Every member was also asked to undergo an RT-PCR test at home before embarking on their journey to Ahmedabad and the travel was undertaken only after testing negative.

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The members were asked to report in Ahmedabad on 31st January 2022 for the upcoming three-match ODI and T20I series against the West Indies. Every member was also asked to undergo an RT-PCR test at home before embarking on their journey to Ahmedabad and the travel was undertaken only after testing negative, BCCI has stated…

Meanwhile, the Senior Selection Committee has roped in Mayank Agarwal to the ODI squad.

Dhawan, and Saini returned positive in RT-PCR tests conducted on Monday. Fielding coach T. Dilip and security liaison officer B. Lokesh’s RT-PCR tests conducted on Monday also had positive results. Gaikwad’s RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday has returned a positive result. He had tested negative during the first round of testing on Monday.

Shreyas and sports massage therapist Rajeev Kumar’s RT-PCR tests conducted on Wednesday have returned positive results. Both had tested negative in the first two rounds of testing.

Gaikwad’s has been found COVID positive for the second time in one and a half years.

It is expected that M Shahrukh Khan, R Sai Kishore, Rishi Dhawan, who are stand byes for the series, will now get a look-in to be in the squad.

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