India vs Sri Lanka match as per schedule

Krunal Pandya. Pic/Getty Images

In a huge sigh of relief, the rest of the Indian players and support staff have tested negative for COVID-19 after all-rounder Krunal Pandya tested positive on Tuesday.

Pandya testing positive forced the postponement of the second T20I against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

However, with the rest of the team members testing negative, the second T20I, which was pushed back by a day, will take place today at the R Premadasa Stadium. The third and final T20I will be played on Thursday.

Match as per schedule

"All other players have tested negative for COVID-19. So, the match is on as per the revised schedule [sent by the BCCI]," a BCCI source told
mid-day.

According to a BCCI media release, the medical staff had identified eight close contacts of Pandya, who tested positive after a Rapid Antigen Test was conducted on Tuesday morning. Once Pandya was moved into seven-day isolation, the entire Indian contingent had to undergo RT-PCR tests. And till then, the players were forced to go back into isolation until the test results were not released.

Shocker to the team

Pandya testing positive came as a shock to the Indian camp as the "protocol for COVID-19 are so strict and followed to the T."

It remains to be seen whether the COVID-19 outbreak will disrupt travel plans of Mumbai batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav, who have been named in the Indian Test team for the five-match series against England as replacements. Shikhar Dhawan's men had won the ODI series 2-1 and also beat Sri Lanka in the first T20I by 38 runs.

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