Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad among 7 Covid-19 positive cases in India camp

Team India have faced a big blow ahead of the West Indies series. Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad as well as Navdeep Saini have tested positive for COVID-19. Mayank Agarwal, as a result, has been included in the Indian ODI squad. The first ODI will take place on Sunday (February 6) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

As per Cricbuzz, the BCCI has said seven members of the Indian team have been tested positive. This includes T Dilip (Fielding Coach), B Lokesh (Security Liaison Officer) and Rajeev Kumar (Massage Therapist) after three rounds of testing as well.

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However, all those India players who have been tested positive are staying on a different floor in the hotel. They are in isolation too as well. Notably, the Indian team is currently in quarantine in Ahmedabad in preparation for the six-match limited-overs series against West Indies.

‘Travel was undertaken only after testing negative’ – BCCI on India players

“Every member was asked to take an RT-PCR test at home before embarking on their journey to Ahmedabad. The travel was undertaken only after testing negative,” the BCCI clarified.

However, the India team has been staying in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the city since Monday. They have to undergo three-day quarantine before the practice sessions begin. The quarantine period has ended on Wednesday. The side will begin practising from Thursday, but there is uncertainty now if the practice would take place as per the schedule.

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The West Indies team, meanwhile, have reached Ahmedabad on Wednesday morning. They have been staying in the same hotel as India, along with the match officials. However, India have come with a huge team of about 26 members. This includes net bowlers and the series is likely to take place as per the schedule.

A Cricket West Indies (CWI) official has confirmed that there are no positive cases in their camp. “We were all negative before we left Barbados. And all negative on our arrival tests at the airport yesterday in Ahmedabad. We are in room isolation on a separate floor to the Indian team as per the protocols,” a source told Cricbuzz.