Rishabh Pant & Net Bowler Dayanand Garani Tested Positive For COVID: BCCI

Two members of the Indian team including Rishabh Pant have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Indian team in UK have reported two positive COVID-19 cases.

(Photo: BCCI)

Two members of India's touring party in England have tested positive for COVID-19, the BCCI confirmed in a press statement on Thursday evening.

While wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant tested positive on 8 July, training assistant/net bowler Dayanand Garani tested positive on 14 July.

Pant is already nearing the end of his self-quarantine period and was asymptomatic, according to the statement. He was not staying at the team hotel and had chosen to visit friends and family during the Indian Test team's three week break between the Test series.

'He is being closely monitored by the BCCI Medical Team and is on his way to recovery. He will be able to join the squad in Durham after returning two negative RT-PCR tests,' added the board's statement on the matter that came more than 12 hours after first news of players in the Indian team were reported by the media.

Dayanand Garani though was staying at the team hotel and bowling coach B. Arun, Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Easwaran have since been quarantined as they were close contacts of Garani at the hotel.

All four personnel will now remain in isolation for 10 days in their team hotel in London.

'The entire Indian contingent including travelling family members and caretakers were administered with the second dose of covid vaccine earlier this month in London. To mitigate any further risks, the Indian contingent is taking the Lateral Flow Test on a daily basis,' the board said in their statement.

The Indian team is scheduled to assemble in Durham on Thursday ahead of their three-day warm-up game against a County Championship XI team from 20 July.

The unfortunate news comes close on the heels of BCCI Secretary Jay Shah having reportedly sent an email to the Indian contingent, warning them about the rising cases of COVID-19 in UK.

Shah, in his letter, is said to have told the players to stay away from crowded places such as Wimbledon and the Euros, both of which recently concluded in the UK.

The Indian Test team in England is slated to play a three-day game against a County Championship XI strictly behind closed doors. The match, part of preparation for the five-Test series beginning August 4, will commence on 20 July at the Riverside ground.

"Durham Cricket are delighted to announce that Emirates Riverside will host India against a County Championship XI as the tourists prepare for their Test series against England later this summer," said a statement from the Durham county cricket body.

The three-day game will see a number of players from the county circuit against the Indian side, which will be led by skipper Virat Kohli.