The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly revealed that the Indian players were “devastated” when the physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive for Covid-19 before the Manchester Test last week. Parmar contracted coronavirus on the eve of the fifth and final Test which eventually had to be postponed just 2 hours after the Indian team refused to take the field.

The physio was the fourth support staff member to test positive after head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar. Sourav Ganguly will now travel to the United Kingdom on September 22 to meet with England cricket representatives to discuss the way forward for rescheduling the Manchester Test.

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During a recent chat with The Telegraph, Sourav Ganguly said, “The players refused to play but you can’t blame them. Physio Yogesh Parmar was in close contact with the players. Being the only one available after Nitin Patel isolated himself, he mixed freely with the players and even performed their Covid-19 tests. He also used to give them a message, he was part of their everyday lives.”

He further added, “The players were devastated when they came to know that he had tested positive for Covid-19. They feared they must have contracted the disease and were dead scared. It’s not easy staying in a bubble. Of course, you have to respect their feelings.”

Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, and R Sridhar are likely to leave for India on Wednesday provided they have two negative RT-PCR reports prior to their departure date.

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Shastri, who tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the fourth Test at the Oval, has been under isolation since September 4 and is expected to complete his 10-day isolation period along with Arun and Sridhar on Monday. Junior physio Yogesh Parmar, who tested positive on September 8, will have to continue his quarantine for a few more days before he is able to fly back home.