After Rishabh Pant, 3 more Team India members forced to quarantine ahead of England Tests

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Thursday that Rishabh Pant and training assistant/net bowler Dayanand Garani have tested positive for COVID-19.

Pant, who is close to completing his period of self-isolation, tested positive on July 8. He is asymptomatic and currently undergoing self-isolation at the place where he reported positive. 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, according to a press release from the BCCI.

"The BCCI Medical Team have identified B. Arun, Bowling Coach, Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Easwaran as close contacts of Garani, who was in the team hotel when he tested positive following RT-PCR tests on 14th July. The four personnel will undergo 10-day isolation and will remain in their respective rooms in the 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 press release further added.

It is understood that Pant has been infected by the Delta variant that has led to the rising number of cases in the UK. The 23-year-old player was spotted at a European Championship game last month. He had even posted pictures from the evening on his social media accounts.

According to PTI, the news has come after the BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently sent an email to the Indian contingent in the UK warning them against the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

In the email, Shah had told the players to "avoid" crowded places as Covishield only provides protection, not full immunity against the virus. He had specifically asked the players to avoid going to Wimbledon and Euros 2020, which recently concluded in the UK. However, the players and support staff did not abide by that as a few players and support staff, including head coach Ravi Shastri, were spotted at the sporting events. Pant and Jasprit Bumrah went for a Euros 2020 game each, while Shastri and Ravichandran Ashwin went to Wimbledon.

The Indian team has been on a break since losing the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) against New Zealand last month in Southampton. The five-match Test series between India and England is scheduled to begin on August 4 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The remaining Tests will be played at Lord's, London, Headingley, Leeds, Kennington Oval, London, and Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester.

Ahead of Test series, which is India's first assignment of the 2021-23 World Test Championship (WTC) Cycle. the Indian team is set to play a warm-up game from July 20 to 22 against a County Championship XI team that is being arranged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after a request from the BCCI. The decision regarding the warm-up game was taken following India's loss in the WTC final. Following the loss, India captain Kohli had said his side wanted first-class games ahead of the series against England, but they had not been given that.