Multiple Indian players test positive ahead of West Indies ODIs: Report

In what comes as concerning news, multiple Indian players are said to have returned a positive test result for Covid-19 ahead of the three-match ODI series that is set to commence on Sunday, February 6th. The Indian players are currently in Ahmedabad and it is believed that close to half-a-dozen players have returned a positive test result four days ahead of the first ODI.

"Three players -- Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan have tested positive. However there are multiple COVID positive cases among non-coaching administrative support staff. It could be between two to four people," a veteran BCCI official has told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"The players are largely asymptomatic and hopefully will be fine by the end of the isolation period. You feel bad for Shikhar as he might have to miss the series and he is not a part of T20 squad," the official said.

It is confirmed that captain Rohit Sharma, senior players like Virat Kohli and coach Rahul Dravid have all tested negative as of Wednesday.

"They have returned negative as of today."

All those who tested negative will complete their mandatory isolation on Thursday. They will enter the bubble, if they test negative again on Thursday.

"The testing protocol set by BCCI medical team is for every day RT-PCR as RAT (Rapid Antigen Test) is often not conclusive. Although teams are supplied with RAT kits in case any player shows symptoms and wants to do a self test," the veteran official said.

It is expected that M Shahrukh Khan, R Sai Kishore, Rishi Dhawan, who are stand byes for the series, will now get a look-in to be in the squad.

The board is yet to make a formal announcement on the matter. 

(with PTI inputs)