India’s series against Sri Lanka is rocked by multiple Covid-19 cases, even before the start of the first match. Hosts’ batting coach Grant Flower and performance analyst GT Niroshan had tested positive for the virus, that had put the series in jeopardy. But now BCCI secretary Jay Shah has come forward and said that the series will kick off on July 18.
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“The India-Sri Lanka ODI series will start on July 18 due to coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka camp,” Jay Shah told ANI.
As per Sri Lanka’s Daily FT, SLC Secretary Mohan de Silva said that “in the event that there are more positive cases leading up to the first ODI on 17 July, they were preparing to field an alternate team from the squads that are practising in Dambulla and in Colombo and are in a bio-bubble.”
Meanwhile, there are reports surfacing which suggest that another Lankan player has tested positive. ‘Newswire.lk’ quoted Sri Lankan sources as saying that batsman Sandun Weerakkodi has tested positive for COVID. According to the report in the website, Weerakkodi was with the 15 senior cricketers who were training here while staying at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.
The report further stated that Weerakkodi, along with Bhanuka Rajapaksa and several other cricketers, were sent to Dambulla on Friday night to play practice matches ahead of the India series.
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The squad staying at Cinnamon Grand also includes Asela Guneratne, Angelo Perera and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and all of them will now have to undergo quarantine.
On the other hand, former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Hardik Pandya can make it to the team as a pure batsman. “Hardik proved himself in Australia that he is perfectly capable of playing in the team as a pure batter, there is no doubt now that he can do that,” Manjrekar said during a virtual interaction. I am also reading reports that he has started bowling as well. His bowling, all the more-better for India. He has shown that he has the ability to walk into the team as a pure batter in white-ball cricket,” added Manjrekar.
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