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India vs England 2021: ECB Asks India To Forfeit Manchester Test Amid Covid-19 Cloud; BCCI Says No
In the latest reports surrounding the fifth Test between India and England, to be played in Manchester from Friday, the ECB has asked the BCCI to forfeit the game – meaning give England a walkover – if they want to cancel the match, as the Indian contingent is grappling with the covid-19 scare.
On Thursday, another member of the support staff – assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar – returned a positive test for Covid-19. It has been reported that Parmar experienced covid symptoms on Wednesday after returning from training. The concerning factor is that Parmar had been in direct contact with several players.
India’s training session on Thursday was cancelled and the players have been asked to stay in their hotel rooms. Their RT-PCR results will arrive late in the day, and then a final decision will be taken about the game.
Meanwhile, according to a report in the Times of India, the BCCI, after consultation with skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, shot down the ECB for asking the visitors to surrender, especially given that they are leading the series by 2-1, following their victory at The Oval.
“Virat and Rohit are learnt to have conveyed that, in absolute clear terms, that Indian team would not forfeit the match even if that meant playing it under Covid cloud,” the TOI report said.
Parmar is the second physiotherapist in India’s medical team. He took responsibility midway through the fourth Test after lead physio Nitin Patel was placed in isolation as he was deemed a close contact of Ravi Shastri, who along with bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar had tested positive for Covid-19, and are currently in isolation in London.
Until now, at the time of writing, no player is reported to have contracted the virus. However, if anyone does, it would render them unavailable for the fifth test and initial games of the second half of the IPL 2021, which starts from September 19 – anyone who tests positive have to undergo 10 days of isolation in England.
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