India vs West Indies: Axar Patel tests positive for Covid-19, as per reports

India spinner Axar Patel on Thursday became the latest member from the host nation to test positive for Covid-19 ahead of their limited-overs series against the West Indies, according to multiple media reports. Patel is reportedly the fifth Indian player to test positive for the dreaded virus, turning the hosts into a depleted side. He was supposed to play an important role for the side in absence of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. However, BCCI, might be forced to find a replacement due to the current situation. 

Four Indian players had already tested positive for Covid-19 earlier. It included Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad and the reserve fast bowler Navdeep Saini. The other members from the host nation include fielding coach T Dilip, security liaison officer B Lokesh and sports massage therapist Rajeev Kumar.

The Indian cricket board had said that the positive results came to the fore after the team underwent three RT-PCR tests upon landing in Ahmedabad on January 31. Dhawan and Saini returned positive tests after the first round of testing on January 31. Dilip and Lokesh also tested positive on the same day. Gaikwad, who had cleared the January 31 test, returned a positive test the next day, while Iyer and Rajeev returned positive tests on Wednesday during the third round of testing.

India opener Mayank Agarwal was roped in as a replacement ahead of the One-Day International (ODI) series. He is likely to open alongside captain Rohit Sharma in the home series against the West Indies, starting from February 6.

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is set to hold the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series while Eden Gardens in Kolkata to stage the entire T20I series. All the matches in this series will be played behind closed doors with the country experiencing the third wave of the pandemic. 

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The board had enlisted six venues for the series against the Caribbean nation in the home calendar for the Indian team for the 2021-22 season announced in September. Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Kolkata were named for the three ODIs on February 6, 9 and 12 respectively while Cuttack, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram for the three T20Is on February 15, 18 and 20.

The T20 series will also act as a good platform to prepare the Indian team for the Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to get underway in October in Australia. It will help the team get a hint of their core players’ form and decide their best XI accordingly. West Indies have been two-time T20 World Cup champions and are expected to be a good test for the home side.