Jos Buttler said that there was nothing wrong in the England camp and that they were preparing for the game on Friday.
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The Indian cricket contingent in England have been affected by the coronavirus. Five members of the team, including head coach Ravi Shastri, have tested positive for the virus so far and the fifth Test of the five-match Test series between England and India is under significant doubt. The most recent addition to the infected list is team physio, Yogesh Parmar. His report was received by the Indian team on Wednesday evening, as per reports. Parmar had reportedly conducted a number of recovery sessions with the players before he was made aware of his infection. India are already without their head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar, and main physio Nitin Patel, who all are in quarantine in London after testing positive for Covid-19 during the fourth Test at The Oval.
England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler was asked about the situation and doubts surrounding the fifth Test match on Friday. He simply replied that there was nothing wrong in the England camp and that they were preparing for the game on Friday. The final match will be the series decider. India are currently leading the series 2-1. It is a must-win game for the Three Lions if they want to avoid a Test series defeat on home soil. For India, there is no chance of a loss, thus a draw would earn them a famous series victory in England.
“I don’t know too much, to be honest, at the moment. At present we are expecting the game to go ahead. Things are all fine in our camp. We are looking forward to the game,” Buttler said during a media interaction. The Indian players have reportedly undergone a fresh round of COVID tests and have been asked to stay in their hotel rooms until the test results come in.
The England wicketkeeper was not available to the side for the fourth Test match at the Oval since he was on paternity leave. Buttler said that the preparations in the England camp were on and that the team was fired up and ready to square up the series against Virat Kohli and his players. “It was a fantastic Test match (at the Oval). The Indians played brilliant cricket. We want to win this Test match and level the series. The spirits are high in the side, it’s a must-win game for us,” he said.
There was speculation ahead of the game that veteran England pacer James Anderson might be rested for the tie, but Buttler implied otherwise. “He has bowled fantastically well in the series. Jimmy is incredibly fit. He has looked after himself very well. He looks exactly the same (as was in the first match) and is available for selection,” the England keeper said.
The fifth Test is scheduled to be played between England and India at Old Trafford, Manchester, starting Friday. With the emergence of the COVID cases, however, things have become a lot more complicated.
