Rohit Sharma tests positive for Covid; isolated in team hotel

NEW DELHI: India’s preparations for the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham, beginning July 1, have been hampered by the discovery that captain Rohit Sharma tested positive for Covid-19.

The BCCI confirmed early Sunday morning that Rohit Sharma had tested positive for a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on Saturday, and that the India captain was placed in isolation at the team hotel ahead of the Test.

Rohit had been playing in India’s warm-up match against a Leicestershire XI at Uptonsteel County Ground, where he had made 25 in the first innings on Thursday.

However, Rohit did not play in India’s second innings on Saturday, with the BCCI confirming that the right-hander will undergo additional tests on Sunday to determine the extent of his injury.

In an update on Sunday morning, BCCI tweeted, “#TeamIndia Captain Mr Rohit Sharma has tested positive for COVID-19 following a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) conducted on Saturday. He is currently in isolation at the team hotel and is under the care of the BCCI Medical Team.”

The game in Edgbaston is the fifth and final Test of a series that began last year but was postponed due to a Covid outbreak in India’s camp.

India leads the series 2-1 and can win their first Test series in England since 2007 if they avoid defeat in Birmingham.

If Rohit recovers in time to captain India during the match, it will be his first Test away from home since taking over from Virat Kohli earlier this year. Due to an injury, Rohit missed the away Test series in South Africa.

A Test victory for India will also earn them valuable points in the World Test Championship standings, where Rohit’s team currently sits third behind Australia and South Africa.