‘They ignored all the advice’ – Indian Cricket Board lashes out a Rohit Sharma and Company
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (Image Source: Twitter)
The Indian Test Team is gearing up for the fifth, rescheduled Test match against England, starting from 1 July 2022. For that, they played a four-day warm-up match against Leicestershire also where players were given the full opportunity to practice. However, before this match, India experienced a setback as its top-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin tested Covid-19 positive.
Another setback occurred when the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma did not come out to bat in the second innings of the warm-up match. Later, the Indian Cricket Board issued a statement that Rohit also had been affected by Covid-19 and will serve the isolation period now. However, some good news for the Indian fans as Ravichandran Ashwin came out to bowl in the second innings. He also picked up two wickets.
But, the Indian Cricket Board has been found unhappy as players getting tested for Covid-19 positive. Board has termed players as irresponsible for not maintaining the order for their safety ahead of the series.
“It was very irresponsible for the team.” – Senior Board Official
Speaking about the incident, a senior Board official lashed out at the players as they found to ignore all advice during the tour. Speaking to InsideSport, he said: “It was very irresponsible for the team. They were informed of the risks and were advised not to roam around in public places without masks. But we see Rohit, Virat, Rishabh, and almost everyone ignoring all the advice. It was bound to happen (Rohit testing positive),”
Speaking about this one-off Test match, it was scheduled to get played in 2021. But, due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp, India refused to play the match. Hence, as compensation, the Indian Board rescheduled this match this year along with ODI and T20I series. However, Rohit Sharma is most likely to miss the Test match as the recovery time is very less.
It all depends on 30 June if he returns two negative RT-PCR tests by then. Only then, he can be available for the match.
“It doesn’t look like Rohit will be able to make it. Although he is well, he will need to return two negative tests by June 30 night. That’s very tight if you consider the time frame. During these days, he won’t be able to travel to Birmingham, making it almost impossible to appear for the 5th Test,” the Board Official concluded.
