The former India captain and current BCCI President said that the players were on vacation, and it’s physically impossible to wear a mask at all times.
India were on a three-week break after the conclusion of the World Test Championship Final. The players remained in the United Kingdom and were on vacation. Most players spent time with their families, whereas several cricketers attended mega-events like Euro 2020 and Wimbledon.
The entire squad re-grouped in Durham on July 15. However, Rishabh Pant tested positive for COVID-19, and he didn’t travel to Durham. He is in isolation in London and will need to return a couple of negative RT-PCR tests before joining the squad.
While the team was on vacation, they were not in bio-bubbles. Moreover, the COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in the UK, but rules and regulations have been relaxed quite a bit.
Pant was seen going around the UK, and he also attended the Euro 2020 without a mask. While a lot of fans and officials have criticised Pant for being irresponsible, Sourav Ganguly has come out in defence of the Delhi lad.
“We have seen Euro Championship and Wimbledon in England. Rules have changed (with crowd being allowed inside venues). They were on leave, and it’s physically impossible to wear mask all the time,”
Ganguly was quoted saying to News18.
Besides Pant, training assistant Dayanand Guarani also tested positive. Bowling coach Bharath Arun, wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha and reserve batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran were deemed to be close contacts of Guarani. Hence, even they have been put in isolation.
None of the aforementioned four have travelled to Durham. When asked about the COVID-19 scare and the possibility of the virus spreading across the camp, Ganguly was confident that everyone will recover quickly.
“No worries. They will be fine,”
Ganguly added when asked about the COVID-19 scare in the Indian camp.
India are scheduled to play a three-day warm-up fixture against a County Select XI in Durham, starting on July 20. The first of the five-Test matches against England will start at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on August 4.
