The 5th and the final Test between England and India scheduled to be played at the Old Trafford in Manchester seems to be in doubt after a member of the Team India’s support staff tested positive for Covid. The final Test will be starting on Friday with the visitors having an unassailable 2-1 lead.
One thing needs to be noted that just a few days a ago, coaches Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, and R Sridhar were forced into quarantine in London and missed the fourth Test at The Oval. Though none of the players were found to be positive yet, the further spread of the virus within the team cannot be ruled out since most of the players were in close contact of the support staff all through the last Test.
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Following the positive test of the coaches last week, each player in the team undergone the RT-PCR test. The squad member who tested positive on Thursday was earlier negative. Some of the reports of the Indian Express also suggest that the BCCI, after talking to the team in Manchester, isn’t keen to go ahead with the Test. With the second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to start on September 19, the board didn’t want the tournament to be impacted.
— Neelabh (@CricNeelabh) September 9, 2021
India’s team practice was cancelled for Thursday, a day ahead of the start of the fifth Test. Players were strongly advised to stay inside their rooms and not step out or meet each other, as precaution against a breakout of infection.
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The Indian team registered a comprehensive win by 157 runs in the 4th Test at the Oval in London with Rohit Sharma scoring a brilliant century along with Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah playing some crucial roles for the team.
