Ravi Shastri and co expected to leave England on Wednesday upon negative test

India head coach Ravi Shastri, along with bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar, had tested COVID positive during the fourth Test against England at The Oval in London. Consequently, the trio had been isolated, while India played most of the Test without their guidance and won it.

The trio's ten-day isolation window as per the United Kingdom's government guidelines ends on Monday. Meanwhile, it is expected that they could leave the country on Wednesday, provided they test negative.

Although the trio would return to India for now, they would soon have to travel to the United Arab Emirates, post the resuming Indian Premier League 2021 conclusion, as they would join Team India ahead of the ICC World T20 from October 17. As per an official from the Board of Control for Cricket in India by PTI, the trio is doing well physically and remains asymptomatic. The medical team would take the call regarding their exact departure date, while the other staff members are expected to fly out to Dubai on Monday.

In the meantime, team physio Yogesh Parmar, who tested positive on September 8 in Manchester, leading to the fifth Test being called off, will have to stay in isolation for a few more days before departing upon a negative test. However, the result regarding the series is yet to be decided by the International Cricket Council, as BCCI has urged England and Wales Cricket Board to rearrange the Test in July next year when India tours for the limited-overs contests.

As per ICC, COVID is an acceptable norm to call off a Test. If ICC deems the Test abandoned, India wins the series 2-1, while a forfeit would lead to England squaring the series and go for the insurance claim.

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