Picture Credit: BCCI
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is unhappy with the turn of events leading up to head coach Ravi Shastri testing positive for Coronavirus in London. The Indian Cricket Board clearly looks miffed with skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri for visiting a crowded place earlier in the month. Notably, the two were sharing the stage during a book launch program without the approval of the cricket governing body of India.
A BCCI official has even said that the incident has left them embarrassed and the team's administrative manager Girish Dongre’s role is also being scrutinised.
"The board will probe the matter. This incident has left the board embarrassed. The coach and the captain will be asked to explain the circumstances after the fourth Test at Oval. The team’s administrative manager Girish Dongre’s role is also under the scanner," a top BCCI official told the Times of India.
"The BCCI is in touch with ECB and trying to ensure the series is completed without any further incidents. As of now, everyone is hoping that Shastri recovers soon. There is a selection meeting for the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. Maybe the matter will be raised there," the official added.
No certainty that Shastri contracted the infection from the book launch
Earlier, in an official letter by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, he had asked all the members of the squad not to visit crowded places in the United Kingdom amid the pandemic. However, there is still no certainty that Shastri contracted the infection from the book launch as the lift of the team hotel is also being used by other guests.
Other than the 59-year-old, Shastri's close aids bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar also tested positive for the infection along with the physiotherapist Nitin Patel. This implies that they won't be able to travel to Manchester with the team for the fifth Test and will continue to quarantine in London.
Meanwhile, India's 157-run win at the Oval has helped the team take a 2-1 lead in the series with one Test match to go. This is set to be the first time since 2007 that India will not lose a Test series in England. While they had won in 2007 with Rahul Dravid at the helm, they faced defeats in each of their subsequent tours in 2011, 2014 and 2018.