Pataudi Trophy 2021: 5th Test to go ahead despite fresh COVID scare in Indian camp

India and England would lock horns in the fifth Test in Manchester from Friday, while the match would go ahead as planned despite a fresh COVID case in the Indian camp.

Pataudi Trophy 2021: 5th Test to go ahead following fresh COVID scare in Indian camp-ayh

Team Newsable

Manchester, First Published Sep 10, 2021, 12:34 PM IST

The highly anticipated fifth and final Test between India and England for the Pataudi Trophy at Old Trafford in Manchester on Friday was plunged into doubt. Yogesh Parmar, India's assistant physio, had tested COVID positive on Wednesday.

While since he has been put into isolation, it was unclear if the Indian side would take the field on Friday. Meanwhile, ESPNCricinfo reveals that the entire side underwent a re-check in the RT-PCR test and turned out to be negative.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India held discussions with the team management, and England had Wales Cricket Board and decided for the Test to go ahead as planned. However, there is still some uncertainty, as the test results might not be accurate just a day of coming in close contact with a COVID infected person.

However, the BCCI has a headache for its resuming Indian Premier League 2021 in the United Arab Emirates due to Parmar testing positive. The players taking part in the event would be leaving for the gulf from England on September 15, while any positive case/s among the players would lead to the entire contingent getting stranded in England. Moreover, the quarantine rule upon arrival in UAE would delay their tournament participation further.

There was a concern regarding the same in the Indian camp, as the BCCI held discussions regarding the same with skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri. However, the final call was left upon the board.

ALSO READ: Pataudi Trophy 2021, 5th Test preview: Can England prevent India from a historic series win on its soil?

The BCCI also reportedly discussed with the ECB, and the option to cancel the fifth Test was also put ahead if any player/s test positive. However, ECB made it clear that failure to take the field would count as forfeit, granting England a win in the final Test and helping it square the series. Also, the forfeit would lead to a claim for loss of television revenue for ECB, which happens to be around £30 million.

Notably, the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions states that the COVID outbreak is an acceptable reason, and the Test could be abandoned. Also, with the points percentage system in play, cancellation of the fifth Test would not have impacted the points tally of any side.

Parmar happens to be the fourth Indian member to test positive after Ravi Shastri (head coach), Bharat Arun (bowling coach) and R Sridhar (fielding coach). The latter three have not travelled to Manchester with the side and are isolating in London.

As for Parmar's close contacts, he has been dealing with players like Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. The players themselves have been mixing with other teammates.

In the meantime, the United Kingdom's government has stated that someone testing positive will have to isolate for ten days. However, the close contacts don't need to isolate if they test negative, 14 days since upon being vaccinated with the second dose.

NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitise, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona

Last Updated Sep 10, 2021, 1:33 PM IST

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Pataudi Trophy 2021: 5th Test to go ahead despite fresh COVID scare in Indian camp

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