‘We don’t know if a match will happen,’ Sourav Ganguly doubtful about fifth Test between India and England

‘We don’t know if a match will happen,’ Sourav Ganguly doubtful about fifth Test between India and England

Joe Root and Virat Kohli

There is a threat looming over the last Test of the five-match series of the India tour of England 2021. India and England are scheduled to go head-to-head against each other in the fifth Test match from September 10 to September 14 at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. 

However, the covid-19 scare in the Indian camp has put the match in jeopardy. The Virat Kohli & Men was already without the services of their head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharath Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and head physio Nitin Patel. Shastri tested positive for covid-19 last week when the two sides were featuring in the Oval Test.

The same was followed by Arun and Sridhar returning positive coronavirus results while Patel was asked to be in isolation as he was deemed as the close contact on the infected members. On Thursday, the Indian contingent was hit with another massive blow. 

It is learned that the visitor’s junior physio Yogesh Parmar has also tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Parmar returned a positive result on Wednesday while his second RT PCR test also confirmed the same. Since all the players were in close contact with the physio, the training session scheduled on Thursday was immediately canceled. 

Sourav Ganguly gives an update on the fifth Test

Sourav Ganguly
Indian Cricket Team

The same has also ignited the rumors of the authorities canceling the fifth Test match. It is believed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are talking with each other to decide the future of the Test series. 

When BCCI president and former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly was asked about the future of the series, the veteran revealed that there is no clarity over the same. Ganguly hoped that the match goes ahead as per the plan and the cricket fraternity gets to see another enthralling game of cricket. 

“We don’t know if a match will happen at the moment. Hopefully, we can get some game,” said Ganguly at the book launch of ‘Mission Domination’ in Kolkata.

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