Picture Credit: BCCI
The coronavirus pandemic continued to wreak havoc on the world of cricket as the second T20I between India and Sri Lanka, scheduled to be played on Tuesday at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, has been postponed. Notably, Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya has tested positive for COVID-19 and as per the protocols, the players will be under isolation for a day. As of now, the match has been rescheduled for July 28, Wednesday.
However, all the players will have to test negative before the match can be played on Wednesday. As per reports, as many as 8 Indian players including Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw have been deemed to be in close contact with Krunal. Both SKY and Shaw are two of the major contenders fighting for a place in India's squad for upcoming T20 World Cup and it could be a huge setback for them if they are forced to miss the 2nd T20I.
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Players to undergo RT-PCR tests on Tuesday
Following the news of the postponement of the match, BCCI confirmed that all the players will be undergoing COVID-19 tests on Tuesday to confirm if there are any other possible positive cases in the bi0-bubble. If everyone returns negative, the final two T20Is are set to take place on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
"Following the Rapid Antigen Tests conducted ahead of the match on Tuesday morning, Team India all-rounder Krunal Pandya was found to be positive. The Medical Teams have identified eight members as close contacts. The entire contingent is undergoing RT-PCR tests today to ascertain any further outbreak in the squad," BCCI said in an official statement.
Revised T20I series schedule
1st T20I - July 25, Sunday (India won by 38 runs)
2nd T20I - July 28, Wednesday
3rd T20I - July 29, Thursday
The venue for the final two matches will remain same and will be played at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Just like the 1st T20I, both the matches will begin at IST 8:00 PM onwards.
