SL vs IND: BCCI confirms dates of second and third T20I of the series

The ongoing T20I series between Sri Lanka and India was hit by a COVID case on Tuesday with all-rounder Krunal Pandya testing positive for the virus. The second T20I scheduled to be played later in the evening was soon postponed by a day even as the medical staff identified eight close contacts for the cricketer, with all of them being players of the visiting team.

The whole visiting contingent has undergone RT PCR tests now and the results of the same are expected by Tuesday (July 27) evening. If all the members test negative for COVID-19, then the second T20I will be played on Wednesday.

BCCI released an official statement on the matter and also confirmed the revised dates for the rest of the T20I series. While the second T20I has been pushed by a day, the third and final game will be played as scheduled on July 29. “The second T20I between Sri Lanka and India originally scheduled to be played on July 27 has been pushed forward by a day and will now take place on Wednesday, July 28,” the statement from the board read.

COVID-19 troubling cricket

This isn’t the first time that the series has been halted due to a COVID positive case among the teams. Last week, the second ODI between Australia and West Indies had to be cancelled after a support staff member from the Caribbean side contracted the virus. All the involved members were tested again and after they returned negative results, then the series was resumed again.

The whole England limited-overs squad went into isolation after three players tested positive for the virus after the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. ECB had to assemble a brand-new squad for the ODI series against Pakistan while Ben Stokes who was yet to fully recover from injury had to rush back to lead the team.

It remains to be seen if the T20I series resumes on Wednesday and for that to happen, the visiting contingent has to test negative with eight close contacts being the players.