Star Indian cricketer suffers from Covid; doubtful for 5th Test against England
India (Image Source: Twitter)
India is scheduled to play the fifth and rescheduled Test match against England, starting from 1 July 2022. Indian players already landed in England a few days back and they started their preparations ahead of this Test match.
Some Indian players like Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma are coming off from having a break as they were not part of the Indian squad for the home T20I series against South Africa. Speaking of the series, India managed to make a solid comeback into this T20I series after losing the first two matches. The series ended with a 2-2 scoreline as the series decider in Bengaluru got washed away. However, India got a major setback as their star spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin might miss the flight for England, as per reports.
Ashwin might miss the practice match against Leicestershire
As per the latest development, Indian players move to the UK on June 16 while Ashwin had to undergo the protocols by going into the quarantine period. He is expected to join the Team before the start of the first match as his quarantine period will be over. He might miss the practice match against Leicestershire if reports are to be believed.
According to The Indian Express, an Indian Board member told that they are hopeful for him to be fit in time before the start of the first Test. He said: “Ashwin hasn’t traveled with the squad to the U.K. as he has tested positive for COVID-19 before departure. But we are hopeful that he will recover well in time before the Test match starts on July 1. However, he might miss the practice game against Leicestershire,”
Meanwhile, Indian players along with batting coach Vikram Rathour and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey already reached Leicestershire to train under their guidance. On the other hand, head coach Rahul Dravid and several players like Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer traveled late after completing the South Africa series. They are scheduled to join the rest of the Team straight in Leicestershire.
After this Test match, India is also scheduled for three T20Is and three ODIs on the English soil until 17 July 2022.
