Having tested positive for COVID-19, seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin did not travel to England with his teammates for the one-off ‘fifth Test,’ a BCCI source told PTI on Monday.
Ashwin is now quarantined and will only be allowed to rejoin the squad if all protocol requirements have been met. There were questions over whether he might miss the series and who would take his place.
R Ashwin, who missed the flight to the Uk last week, will arrive in England in the coming days. Before the four-day warm-up match against the county on June 24, he is set to join the team in Leicester.
Now, sources inside the BCCI and team management in England have reported to Cricbuzz that the senior spinner’s arrangements are being finalised, and he should be joining the team soon.
Jayant Yadav was reportedly placed on standby in case Ashwin could not recover in time. The Haryana spinner was summoned to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. That alternative, however, has now been ruled out because Ashwin has completely recovered and is likely to fly out within the next 24 hours, most likely on June 24.