India vs Sri Lanka 2021-22: Hasaranga tests COVID positive, likely to miss T20Is

India and Sri Lanka clash from Thursday, starting with three T20Is. However, Wanindu Hasaranga has tested positive for COVID. He is likely to miss out on the shortest forms.

From Thursday, India and Sri Lanka are set to clash in a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series. However, the latter has suffered a blow in terms of a player. Top all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has been diagnosed positive for COVID, while he looks most likely to miss out on the T20Is.

According to ESPNCricinfo, Hasaranga tested positive on Wednesday, a day before the opening T20I at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. While he is currently in Melbourne, where he recently competed in Lanka's five-match T20I series against Australia, he will not board the flight to India. He had tested positive in Australia on February 15, before the third T20I.

While he missed the rest of the matches, Hasaranga was expected to recover on time for the India tour. Although he tested negative in the Rapid Antigen Test, a positive test in the RT-PCR has forced him to miss out on the India T20Is. Although he can fly out of Australia, he will not enter India without a negative test result.

Meanwhile, Arjuna de Silva SLC's medical department head) states that Australia has a higher CT value for a negative test, while a lower CT value will have a higher viral load. However, he was confident of Hasaranga returning negative soon. "He'll miss the first match for sure. Our job is to get him to India. Of course, whether he plays or not is a different matter. That depends on his fitness and other factors," he told the publication.

"We're doing PCRs daily, so as soon he's negative, he can fly to India - maybe even tomorrow. He will then have to be assessed by the team doctor and the physio to determine if he can participate in the tour. At the moment, he has no symptoms," added de Silva.

Hasaranga will have to stay back in India after the Tests to join the preparatory camp of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He will be competing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 after being roped in by the franchise for a whopping ₹10.75 crore. The tournament is likely to begin on March 27.