Colombo: Even as the players are in secure bio-bubble environments, COVID-19 woes don’t seem to leave even the vaccinated ones behind. After Krunal Pandya’s results came in positive on Tuesday, reports are now suggesting that at least eight of those in his close contact, including the captain Shikhar Dhawan, could be ruled out from the ongoing India-Sri Lanka series.
The second T20 international, which was scheduled to be held on July 27 (Tuesday), was postponed to July 28 (Wednesday). But all the eight close contacts might still not be allowed to visit the ground for the fixture, multiple reports said.
Official confirmation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is awaited.
Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Krishnappa Gowtham and Ishan Kishan are other players who came in Krunal’s contact, the reports added.
It is noteworthy that Shaw and Yadav, who were selected as a back-up for the England series, too are on the list. This could potentially put a spanner on the BCCI’s plan.
Meanwhile, Krunal has now been moved to a different hotel to quarantine as the rest of the squad tested negative. They are all isolated too.