IND vs WI: Mayank Agarwal added to ODI squad after three players test Covid-19 positive

The All-India Senior Selection Committee has added Mayank Agarwal to India’s ODI squad after seven members, including three players of Team India (Senior Men) tested positive for COVID-19 following three rounds of RT-PCR testing.

The members were asked to report in Ahmedabad on 31st January 2022 for the upcoming Paytm three-match ODI and T20I series against the West Indies. Every member was also asked to undergo an RT-PCR test at home before embarking on their journey to Ahmedabad and the travel was undertaken only after testing negative.

The detailed updates are as below:

1)     Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan and fast bowler Navdeep Saini’s (standby player) RT-PCR tests conducted on Monday (January 31^st) have returned positive results.

2)     Fielding Coach T. Dilip and Security Liaison Officer B. Lokesh’s RT-PCR tests conducted on Monday (January 31^st) have returned positive results.

3)     Batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad’s RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday (February 1^st) has returned a positive result. He had tested negative during the first round of testing on Monday.

4)     Batsman Shreyas Iyer and Sports Massage Therapist Rajeev Kumar’s RT-PCR tests conducted on Wednesday (February 2^nd) have returned positive results. Both had tested negative in the first two rounds of testing.

The BCCI Medical team is handling the positive cases and they will remain in isolation till complete recovery is attained.

The two teams will play a total of six white-ball games, starting with the three ODIs in Ahmedabad. The 50-over series will be followed by three T20Is in Kolkata, scheduled to be played on February 16, 18 and 20. As per the original plan, the series was scheduled to take place over six venues as Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Kolkata were to host three ODIs on February 6, 9 and 12, while the three T20Is were scheduled in Cuttack, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram on February 15, 18 and 20.

The BCCI, however, keeping in mind the Covid-19 situation in India, which is currently battling a third wave of the pandemic, decided to limit the venues from six to two in order to avoid any logistical hassles and prevent the pandemic from affecting the series. Despite those plans in place, the virus has managed to creep in, affecting the host camp only four days before the scheduled start of the tour.