Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyar Iyer among 5 positive as Covid hits the Team India players

West Indies tour of India starts in 2 days and it’s a major blow for Team India as 5 players have been tested Covid-19 positive.  The list includes Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and Navdeep Saini (stand by). Hence, Axar Patel is the fifth confirmed Indian player that was hit by a virus. 

“Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan and fast bowler Navdeep Saini's (standby player) RT-PCR tests conducted on Monday (January 31st) have returned positive results,” BCCI stated.

"Batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad's RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday (February 1st) has returned a positive result. He had tested negative during the first round of testing on Monday," BCCI added.

"Batsman Shreyas Iyer and sports massage therapist Rajeev Kumar's RT-PCR tests conducted on Wednesday (February 2nd) have returned positive results. Both had tested negative in the first two rounds of testing.”

Axar Patel has been tested for positive for Covid-19 as well, but the all-rounder isn’t the part of ODI series in the upcoming tour due to fitness reasons, but was picked for T20I squad. 

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has verified that COVID has entered the bio-bubble of the Indian cricket squad. Mayank Agarwal has been added to the ODI team by the All-India Senior Selection Committee, and the batsman is expected to play in all of the matches. In the meantime, some members of the support staff have returned with Covid +.