As the West Indies series is inching closer, the Indian camp faced a huge blow as many as eight Indian players including Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad have tested Covid-19 positive upon their arrival in Ahmedabad.
The series, which is scheduled to begin on February 6, saw Dhawan, Iyer and Gaikwad share the bio-bubble along with other members of the Indian squad. The players, who were in close contact with the trio, would also undergo isolation.
According to the report in Sportstar, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team is monitoring the situation and they are expected to announce replacements shortly.
With the ouster of this trio and even regular vice-captain KL Rahul, unavailable for the first ODI, it is surely a major blow for the home team.
It will now remain to see who will open alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in the opening game. As far as Shreyas Iyer is concerned, the Indian side have several middle-order batters, if available, who can accommodate for his place.
As far as the series is concerned, India is scheduled to play the first of three ODIs at the Narendra Modi Stadium from February 6. They will then play three T20Is at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, starting on February 16.
India's current ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan
