Ace Indian off-spinner R Ashwin was seen amidst the national team squad ahead of the four-day warmup match between India and Leicestershire at Grace Road ground after his joining got delayed due to him contracting Covid-19.
Ashwin was supposed to fly out to England with the rest of the Test specialists last week but has to miss the flight after testing positive for the virus and spending time in isolation.
He has now recovered from the infection and has joined his teammates in the UK. The news was confirmed by BCCI, who took to Twitter to share pics from the practice session before the start of the warm-up match between India and Leicestershire.
Though Ashwin joined the Indian squad, there is no confirmation about his selection in the India XI for the fifth Test against England which begins on July 1 in Edgbaston. On the previous England tour, Ashwin stayed on the bench in all four Tests.
Meanwhile, as many as four Indians are plying their trade for Leicestershire in the practice match. On the eve of the fixture, the club announced that Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara, Prasidh Krishna, and Jasprit Bumrah will be playing for them.
Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first.
This match is a huge opportunity for Indian players to get into the red-ball rhythm for the important Test as a draw or a win will give India the Test series win as they lead by 2-1.
