Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun & R Sridhar Test COVID-19 Positive

Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar will not be with the Indian team at the Manchester Test.

India head coach Ravi Shastri will miss the remainder of the England Test series after testing positive for COVID-19 

Image: BCCI

In what is some bad news from the Indian cricket camp, head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar tested positive for COVID-19 in the confirmatory RT-PCR test.

The coaches will now isolate which means they will not be with the team in the final Test of the series in Manchester. India and England’s final Test match in the series is in Manchester beginning 10 September.

Shastri had initially returned positive in a lateral flow test (Rapid Antigen Test) on Sunday and on Monday, his RT-PCR test report confirmed the infection. The Board on Sunday confirmed that Shastri had tested positive after lateral flow test and that he and his contacts were put into isolation.

Shastri had recently launched his book in the team hotel where outside guests were allowed too.

"Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar, the head coach, bowling coach and fielding coach of the Indian team respectively, have returned positive RT-PCR tests for Covid-19 on Sunday. This will prevent them from travelling to Manchester for the fifth and final Test of India's tour of England, starting September 10 at Old Trafford," said a report in espncricinfo.com.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to issue an official statement on this.

The playing members had tested negative in two lateral flow tests conducted on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

The series is currently tied at 1-1.