“I’ve not got it at my book launch” – Ravi Shastri on testing positive for COVID-19 during Test series against England


“I’ve not got it at my book launch” – Ravi Shastri on testing positive for COVID-19 during Test series against England

Ravi Shastri

Team India’s head coach Ravi Shastri has sidelined all allegations made on him for attending his book launch event after which he tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The incident took place in London before the fourth Test against England at the Kennington Oval.

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The 59-year-old mentioned that it’s highly unlikely that he caught the virus at the event as none of the other attendants has shown a positive result for COVID-19. Shastri further stated that he might have come in contact with the ungodly virus during the third Test match at the Headingley, Leeds and has no regrets of attending the book launch.

“There were about 250 people there and no one got COVID from that party. I’ve not got it at my book launch because it was on the 31 (August) and I tested positive on September 3,” Shastri was quoted as saying in an interview with The Guardian.

“It can’t happen in three days. I think I got it in Leeds (where the third Test was held). I have absolutely no regrets because the people I met at that function were fabulous,” he stated.

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“Good for the boys to get out and meet different people”

Glimpse from Ravi Shastri's book launch event
Glimpse from Ravi Shastri’s book launch event

Apart from Ravi Shastri, several members of the current Indian team, including skipper Virat Kohli have attended the event. The Mumbai-born highlighted that it was good for the players to go out and meet different people rather than constantly being in their hotel rooms.

“And it was good for the boys to get out and meet different people rather than constantly being in their rooms. At the Oval Test, you were climbing stairs used by 5,000 people. So, to point a finger at a book launch?” Shastri added.

After Ravi Shastri, India’s bowling coach Bharath Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar have also tested positive for coronavirus. Later, India’s second physio Yogesh Parmar’s COVID-19 test report has also shown a positive result. As a result, the fifth and final Test match between India and England was called off.

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