2022 Commonwealth Games | Pooja Vastrakar and S Meghana test positive for Covid-19
S. Meghana and Pooja Vastrakar, members of the Indian women's cricket squad, failed a COVID-19 test and were unable to board the flight to Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The duo is in Bengaluru currently, and can only fly out after passing the BCCI's required fitness test.
While Vastrakar is a potent batter in the bottom order, S Meghana won her berth in the Indian women's cricket squad as a backup opener. Both the pivotal match against Pakistan on Sunday and the opener game against Australia on Friday will be missed by the players. The match between India and Barbados on August 3 is the earliest they may play.
Prior to their flight to the UK, the players had a 10-day camp in Bengaluru where they caught the coronavirus. A COVID case was present in the contingent, the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly revealed last week, but he did not name the player.
The BCCI was unable to fly out the backup players since the squad size restriction is fixed at 15. Leg-spinner Poonam Yadav, all-rounder Simran Dil Bahadur, and wicketkeeper batter Richa Ghosh are practising in Bengaluru and are willing to go if necessary.
At Birmingham 2022, the Indian delegation has been urged by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to “not spend much time in public places because of the threat of COVID-19.”
"The players have been instructed to keep public interaction to a minimum and take safety precautions wherever needed," the IOA said in a statement. Women's T20 cricket will be played for the first time at the Commonwealth Games at the renowned Edgbaston Cricket Ground.