Colombo: India lost the T20 series 1-2 after several players of the squad had to be isolated owing to Krunal’s infection.The Indian cricket contingent on Friday left the Sri Lankan shores after completing a six-match white-ball series but visiting all-rounder Krunal Pandya remained in mandatory isolation here to recover from COVID-19.
However, it couldn’t be confirmed whether the two UK-bound players — Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw — are leaving from the Sri Lankan capital itself or will be coming back to India on a charter plane with the rest of the squad before flying off again.
India lost the T20 series 1-2 after several players of the squad had to be isolated owing to Krunal’s infection.
Yes, only Krunal will have to stay back in Sri Lanka for the time being due to the mandatory isolation period of one week, a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
After one week, if he has two negative RT-PCR reports, he will be allowed to fly back. Currently, he is in the fourth day of his isolation. All others are free to depart as they have all tested negative, he added.
The Indian team on Thursday finished the series, which initially was delayed due to multiple COVID-19 cases in the Sri Lankan camp after they returned from their tour of the United Kingdom.
The ODI series was delayed by five days and then the second T20 International, slated on Tuesday, had to be deferred by a day after Krunal tested positive, having shown symptoms on that day.
Eight other players, who were deemed his close contact, were also isolated and tested.
They were his younger brother Hardik, Shaw and Suryakumar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Chahar, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ishan Kishan, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
However, all eight had tested negative.
Earlier, Sri Lanka spinners led by leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga rattled a depleted Indian batting to engineer a 2-1 series victory with a seven-wicket win in the third T20 International here on Thursday.
Batting first, India playing with at least two batsmen short were restricted to their third lowest total of 81 for 8 with Hasaranga getting 4 for 9 in 4 overs.
In reply, Sri Lanka reached the target in 14.3 overs with Dhananjaya De Silva (23 ) scoring bulk of the runs. Rahul CHahar finished with 3/15 in 4 overs.