After Recovering from COVID, R Ashwin Set to Join India Team in England Soon

Ashwin had not flown with the rest of the squad last week as he returned a positive COVID-19 test.

R Ashwin during a training session with the Indian team. 

Image: BCCI

India’s ace spinner R Ashwin is all set to join the squad in UK in the next couple of days. He had failed to board the flight last week with the rest of the team after returning a positive COVID test.

Having recovered fully, Ashwin, as reported by Cricbuzz, is expected to join the team in Leicester ahead of their four-day warm-up game against the county, beginning 24 June.

Arrangements to get the Chennai man over to UK are being made by the BCCI and the veteran bowler should be with the squad soon.

India will play one Test against England, at Edgbaston, Birmingham beginning 1 July. This is the final Test of the five-match series which began last year. The final Test had to be postponed after COVID-19 hit the Indian team.

The 35-year-old Ashwin is one of the most successful spinners for India in the longest-format of the game in recent times. He has 442 wickets from 86 Tests.

Meanwhile, head coach Rahul Dravid, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, all of whom were part of the recently concluded T20 series against South Africa have joined the Indian set-up in Leicester too.

The selectors have also not named a replacement for the injured KL Rahul, nor have they named a new vice-captain for the tour yet.