The second T20I between India and Sri Lanka was supposed to be played on July 27, 2021, Tuesday. However, it was postponed after India’s all-rounder Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19 and both the teams' members had to go into isolation.
Apart from these, 8 members who were deemed to be close contacts with Krunal Pandya were also sent for isolation and BCCI had released a press note saying that the second T20I would now be played on July 28 and the third T20I will happen on July 29.
Now as per PTI reports, Krunal Pandya, who tested positive on Tuesday morning, has already been quarantined and sent into 7-day isolation which has ruled him out of the remainder of the T20I series.
As per Sri Lanka’s health safety protocols, Krunal will not be able to travel back to India with other members of the contingent on July 30 as he will now have to undergo mandatory isolation and obtain a negative RT-PCR report.
However, there was some good news, as all his eight close contacts, who were isolated, have tested "negative" in the RT-PCR tests and will be available for the postponed game which is being held tomorrow.
"Krunal is symptomatic with cough and throat pain. He is obviously out of the series and will not be able to return with the rest of the squad. However the good news is that all his eight close contacts who were identified by the BCCI medical officer (Dr. Abhijit Salvi) have tested negative,” a BCCI source tracking the developments in Colombo told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
For now, the three-match series is on as even if there are a couple of more cases, the Indian team has enough players with negative RT-PCR reports to field a team.
It has been learnt from BCCI sources that all the members of the Indian contingent were put in room isolation till they received their negative RT-PCR report. The entire contingent has undergone RT-PCR tests on the day to ascertain any further outbreak in the squad.
While the series is being played closed doors, the bio-security bubble breach at the Taj Samudra hotel in Colombo, where the Indian team is staying, could be a reason.
The development is also likely to affect the travel plans of Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav, who were due to join the Indian team in the UK after this series for an upcoming Test assignment against England next month.
sl v iThe duo was to link up with the Test squad in the UK after the end of the T20I series.
(PTI inputs)
