The prospects of the final Test starting at Old Trafford from Friday have received a significant boost after the entire Indian squad returned negative RT-PCR tests having undergone Covid-19 testing on Thursday morning.
The fate of the fifth Test of the Pataudi Trophy, which India are leading 2-1, was in balance after India’s assistant physio Yogesh Parmar tested Covid-19 positive on Wednesday evening.
Ever since Parmar was tested positive, the BCCI got concerned about whether the development could have a cascading effect on the second half the IPL, which starts in the UAE from September 19, five days after the Manchester Test. On September 15, a bulk of the India and England players are scheduled to board charter flights from Manchester to Dubai to join their respective IPL franchises.
The BCCI does not want the IPL to be impacted as it is scheduled to host the men’s 2020 World Cup in the UAE and Oman two days after the IPL ends, on October 15.
On Thursday morning the BCCI’s top brass conducted a virtual meeting with the Indian team management including captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri to figure a way forward. It is understood that the Indian players remain concerned although they have left the final decision with the BCCI.
More to follow
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo
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