UPDATE: Sri Lanka won the toss and selected to bowl first.
Changes: Four T20I debutants for India today.
Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Chetan Sakariya.
Ramesh Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama in. Ashen Bandara and Charith Asalanka out
************************
Uncertainty around the 2nd T20I is solved with medical authorities giving permission to play the game.
However 8 Indian players who are first contacts of Krunal Pandya were not allowed to take the field today.
Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and seven players — Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik, Chahar, Manish Pandey, Ishan Kishan, and K Gowtham were identified as close contacts and hence they would not be playing the remaining two T20Is.
New DELHI: The second T20 International between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on Tuesday was postponed by a day after the visiting all-rounder Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him out of the series with seven days of isolation.
However, all his eight close contacts, who were isolated, have tested “negative” in the RT-PCR tests but as a precautionary measure won’t be able to take field on Wednesday.
Since the close contacts are mostly players, India might have to field a depleted side.
As per Sri Lanka’s health safety protocols, Krunal will not be able to travel back to India with other members of the contingent on July 30 as he will now have to undergo mandatory isolation and obtain a negative RT-PCR report
The third and final T20 is scheduled to be held on Thursday.
“Krunal is symptomatic with cough and throat pain. He is obviously out of the series and will not be able able to return with rest of the squad,” a BCCI source tracking the developments in Colombo told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
“However the good news is that all his eight close contacts who were identified by the BCCI medical officer (Dr Abhijit Salvi) have tested negative. But as a precautionary measure can’t take the field.”
For now, the three-match series is on as even if there are a couple of more cases, the Indian team has enough players with negative RT-PCR reports to field a team. (IndianExpress)