Reports | Krunal Pandya’s close contacts to not travel to ground despite testing negative

India could be severely weakened for the final two T20Is against Sri Lanka as reports have emerged claiming that the eight close contacts of Krunal Pandya will not be travelling to the ground for the final two T20Is. On Tuesday, Pandya tested positive for the virus, due to which the second T20I had to be pushed back by a day. Eight close contacts of Pandya were identified and isolated, but it was announced that the series would resume on July 28 due to the other members returning a negative result.

But according to an ESPNCricinfo report, none of the eight close contacts would be featuring in the last two T20Is despite them returning negative test results. Neither BCCI nor SLC have revealed the names of the close contacts, thus it is unclear if Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw are a part of the group. Shaw and Suryakumar, earlier this week, were added to the Test squad by the BCCI and were expected to fly to England. 

The second T20I will be played today in Colombo, with the series concluding on Thursday, July 29. India won the first T20I comprehensively, by 38 runs, following a fine showing with the ball.