India tour of England: Indian cricket team to continue as per plan after England players found covid positive

London: The Indian cricketers, who are on the British tour for the five-Test series, will continue their 20-day leave for the five-Test series, despite some of England’s players and support staff going into isolation after their one-day team tested positive for the coronavirus. Some will be given a second vaccine for Kovid-19 on Wednesday.

New cases of Kovid-19 are increasing continuously in England and in such a situation, all players and support staff members of India will be given a second vaccine on July 7 and 9. Indian players have already received the first vaccine from Covishield. Sources in the Indian Cricket Board said, ‘Most of the players are celebrating their holiday in London and surrounding areas. Players who had received the first vaccine for Kovishield in India are now ready to take the second vaccine.

Full immunization of Indian players has become imperative as there have been several cases of the virus in the England team. The much-awaited series between India and England will begin in Nottingham from August 4. Three England players and four members of the support staff have tested positive for coronavirus 48 hours after the ODI series against Sri Lanka ended. The names of these members have not been disclosed.

BCCI aware of the current situation

Due to this, England had to select a whole new team under the leadership of Ben Stokes for the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan. The Indian players will assemble in London on July 14 from where they will travel to Durham for a two-week training camp and a first-class match against ‘Select County XI’.
A senior official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told PTI on condition of anonymity, “We are aware of the situation. If there are any changes to the existing health protection guidelines, the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and local health authorities will make them available to us and will be strictly adhered to.

“But we have not been told anything yet. Players have not been asked to end their leave midway. Right now most of the players are in or around London and are spending time with their families. Some have even gone to rural areas. Players can be re-tested once they gather in London and only then can they be allowed to enter a bio-secure environment. There has been an increase in Delta-3 cases in England. Not all players in England’s original ODI team have been fully immunized.