Picture Credit: Twitter/@BCCI
It has been learnt that BCCI might be forced to name further replacements for Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav for the England tour as the local health protocols in the UK won't allow them entry in England anytime soon. The duo were set to leave for the UK on July 30. However, the two Mumbai batsmen were identified as close contacts of Krunal Pandya, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. Additionally, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal, K Gowtham, and Deepak Chahar were also deemed close contacts of Krunal.
Though all the eight players tested negative for the virus, they have been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka. The players are currently in complete isolation as a precautionary measure. According to sources, Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav’s departure to England will be delayed as they will have to be in isolation for a minimum of 3 days and the duration can also extend, depending on the RTPCR test results over the next 3 days.
“We can’t say anything with certainty at this stage. We have to observe them for next couple of days to decide – whether to announce new replacements or not”, declared the BCCI official to Inside Sport.
Strict Covid-19 protocols in UK
As per the COVID-19 protocols in UK, a close contact of Covid-19 positive person will have to self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days before he is allowed entry into UK. As a result, both Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw will need to stay in Colombo at least till August 6th. Thus, the duo will miss out on the first two Tests. Since India and Sri Lanka both are on UK’s red list, the duo will have to further undergo 10-day quarantine in the UK as per the protocols. In the best case, they can join the squad by August 22, which is just three days from start of the 3rd Test in Leeds. Therefore, they will also miss the 3rd Test in all likelihood.
Sending the duo to England for just the last 2 Tests wouldn't make any sense. Thus, BCCI is likely to announce replacements for Surya & Shaw. However, it remains to be seen if the BCCI can convince the ECB to arrange an exemption for the duo.