India vs England: Another member tests COVID positive, Ganguly unsure of 5th Test going ahead

Ahead of the fifth Test between India and England, another member of the Indian team's support staff has tested positive, putting the Manchester game in doubt.

The final Test is due to begin on Friday (Sept. 10) at Old Trafford, Manchester with India 2-1 up in the series. The support staff member, who has tested positive for the virus is Team India's physio Yogesh Parmar.

The COVID-19 tests took place in the Indian camp on Wednesday and luckily, all the players returned with a negative result in the first test. But they have undergone another round of mandatory tests and the results for the same are still awaited. In the meantime, the players have been asked to remain in their rooms until the results are out.

"We don't know if match will happen at the moment. Hopefully we can get some game," Ganguly was quoted by PTI, as saying at the book launch of 'Mission Domination' in Kolkata.

The PTI report has also stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to spare a physio as the Indian team currently has no physio.

The Indian team reached Manchester on Monday and trained on Tuesday and Wednesday. After the news of Yogesh Parmar emerged, Indian team's final training session on Thursday was cancelled as a result. "Yes, the team will not train and will undergo tests now that a support staff member has tested positive for COVID-19," an unnamed source told ANI on Thursday.

This latest update comes after India head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar returned positive results to their RT-PCR tests during the fourth Test in London. They are currently undergoing isolation and can come out only after returning two negative results. Shastri had attended a book launch ahead of the fourth Test in London.

Despite being without their key support staff members, Virat Kohli and Co. produced a great show at the Oval as they secured India's first Test win at the venue after 50 years. Team India defeated the hosts by 157 runs to earn an unassailable lead of 2-1 in the ongoing five-match Test series.

If India manage to win or even draw the final Test in Manchester, it'll be India's only third Test series win on English soil.