Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the second T20I against Sri Lanka.
India's tour to Sri Lanka has been affected due to COVID-19 once again. There was a COVID-19 breakout in the Sri Lankan camp before the ODI series, and now India's Krunal Pandya tested positive in the middle of the T20I series.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra is concerned over the upcoming Test series against England. He said the virus breached a tight bio-bubble in Sri Lanka and England has a soft bio-bubble as the local government there has lifted all Covid-19 related restrictions from July 19.
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“Krunal Pandya tested positive despite being in a strict bio-bubble. That makes me think about what is happening in England. Crowds are attending The Hundred and interacting with each other. Even amid COVID positive cases in the country, the festival is carrying on.
"Crowds are likely to attend the India-England Test matches as well and it is being said that there won’t be a strict bio-bubble but only a soft one. I do understand that COVID has taken a toll on everyone. But if COVID can breach a strict bio-bubble, I don’t even want to think what can happen in a soft bubble.”
There is relaxation on COVID-19 rules in the United Kingdom as the government announced even wearing masks and observing social distancing aren't mandatory.
Chopra finds it surprising that the COVID-19 managed to breach the bio-bubble in Sri Lanka despite players not going out or even someone outsider not allowed to enter.
“How was the bio-secure bubble breached? Matches are being played behind closed doors. No players are going out, it is a very tight tournament. Players are staying at the designated hotel. They are using the same bus to travel to the ground and they are staying in the same dressing how. Then how did this virus breach the bio-bubble? And if it has, Krunal might not be alone, as we have seen in the IPL, when multiple cases later came to the fore.”
Eight Team India members were in contact with Krunal before he tested positive for COVID-19. The second T20I was postponed to July 28 after the COVID-19 reports.