The Indian team in England has been hit by COVID-19 with two members of the squad were tested positive and three others in isolation. Team India will take on County XI in a three-day warmup game. All the three wicket-keepers in the squad are unavailable for the match against County XI.
Pant’s back-up Wriddhiman Saha will also not be available as he is in isolation until July 24 after he came in contact with training assistant Dayanand Garani, who is the other team member to test positive.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in a statement on Thursday, said that “Pant is being closely monitored by the BCCI medical team and is on his way to recovery” and that “he will be able to join the squad in Durham after returning two negative RT-PCR tests”.
Former selector Gagan Khoda had told IANS recently that Rahul was more suited for the middle-order. “I think, he should be played in the middle-order not as opener,” he had said.
India is due to play five-match Test series against England starting August 4.