Krunal Pandya
The second Twenty20 International between India and Sri Lanka, scheduled to be played on Tuesday in Colombo, has been postponed after Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
"The second T20I between Sri Lanka and India originally scheduled to be played on July 27 has been pushed forward by a day and will now take place on Wednesday, July 28," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a media statement.
"Following the Rapid Antigen Tests conducted ahead of the match on Tuesday morning, Krunal Pandya was found to be positive. The Medical Teams have identified eight members as close contacts," the release added.
The entire contingent is undergoing RT-PCR tests today to ascertain any further outbreak in the squad.
"The reports will come in the evening (around 6 pm) and if everyone is in the clear, we can have the match on Wednesday.
Maximum among the eight close contacts who are also in mandatory isolation are players," Shah added.
India had won the opener by 38 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The development poses a setback for Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav, who on Monday were picked by the BCCI to join the Indian Test squad in the UK as replacements for injured Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan and Washington Sundar. The two are expected to travel to England after the end of the T20I series.
Earlier this month, few members of the Indian contingent in the UK too had tested positive for the dreaded virus. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant had contracted the virus and had to isolate himself at an acquaintance's place in London. Bowling coach Bharat Arun, Wriddhiman Saha, and Abhimanyu Eswaran too had to undergo a 10-days isolation period after coming in contact with training nets assistant Dayananda Garani, who had tested positive for the virus.
