Ravichandran Ashwin was due to play the Birmingham Test against England from July 1. However, he has tested COVID positive, thus delaying his flight to England.
As a setback to Team India, all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin's trip to England has been delayed after testing positive for COVID. Thus, he is likely to team up late with his teammates in Birmingham for the rescheduled Test in Edgbaston from last year, scheduled to run from July 1-5. He is currently in quarantine at his home in Chennai and is expected to join the squad after recovering completely, and every protocol requirement has been met. The remaining team has already arrived in Leicester, training under bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and batting coach Vikram Rathour. Rahul Dravid, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer reached London on Monday after completing the Twenty20 International (T20I) series against South Africa at home, ending 2-2. At the same time, they would travel to Leicester on Tuesday.
"Ashwin hasn't travelled with the squad to the UK [United Kingdom], as he has tested positive for Covid-19 before departure. But, we are hopeful that he will recover well before the Test match starts on July 1. However, he might miss the practice game against Leicestershire," a BCCI official told PTI.
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Meanwhile, the Indian squad for the Ireland tour is expected to leave for Dublin on Thursday or Friday. The team has been given a three-day rest after the South Africa T20Is. India will be playing a couple of T20Is on June 26 and 28. After completing the rescheduled Test against England last year, in which India leads 2-1 in the series, the teams will be locked on three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20Is.