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The ongoing five-match Test series between India and England has certainly been a roller coaster ride for everyone. After rain played a spoilsport in an interestingly poised series opener, the next three Test saw some incredible performances. While England outplayed India at Headingley, it was Virat Kohli's side who emerged victorious at Lord's and at the Oval. With India 2-1 up going into the final encounter, there has been another twist in the tale!
India's coaching staff had tested positive for COVID-19 during the previous Test and were prevented to travel with the team to Manchester. However, it was not enough to prevent the spread of virus as India's junior team physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, just a day before the scheduled start of the 5th Test.
Yogesh was notably in constant contact with many Indian players over the course of last few days, especially with Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara recovering from their respective injuries. Hence, there is a likely probability of spread of virus if match goes ahead at Old Trafford. Therefore the concerned parties are looking at the option of canceling the 5th Test.
If the match doesn't happen, it is an incomplete series: Boria Majumdar
While there were reports about India being asked to forfeit the match by ECB in case the match is canceled, BCCI have claimed that they won't let it happen after consultation with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Reflecting on the same, one of India's most famous sports journalists - Boria Majumdar - revealed the possibilities in case the match doesn't happen. He confirmed that the series will be termed as 'incomplete' and the match will take place later. Since the series is also a part of WTC 2021-23 cycle, points from every match become very crucial.
Since second phase of IPL 2021 is set to take place from September 19 onwards, it is also logical that the match cannot be rescheduled for next week. This could probably be the reason behind Boria Majumdar suggesting that the next possible opportunity to conduct the remaining Test would probably be in July 2022 when India will tour England for white-ball series.
The final decision will now depend on the final round of COVID-19 tests of Indian players ahead of the 5th Test post which any decision will be taken by the concerned authorities. As of now, we can just hope that all players are safe and healthy and the series could end without any more troubles.