The fate of the fifth Test was in balance after India’s assistant physio Yogesh Parmar was tested Covid-19 positive
The prospects of the final Test starting at Old Trafford from Friday have brightened after the entire Indian squad returned negative for Covid-19 after a day-long uncertainty.
The fate of the fifth Test of the Pataudi Trophy, which India are leading 2-1, was in balance after India’s assistant physio Yogesh Parmar tested Covid-19 positive on Wednesday evening.
Ever since Parmar was tested positive, the BCCI got concerned about whether the development could have a cascading effect on the second half the IPL, which starts in the UAE from September 19, five days after the Manchester Test. On September 15, a bulk of the India and England players are scheduled to board charter flights from Manchester to Dubai to join their respective IPL franchises.
The BCCI does not want the IPL to be impacted as it is scheduled to host the men’s 2020 World Cup in the UAE and Oman two days after the IPL ends, on October 15.
On Thursday morning the BCCI’s top brass conducted a virtual meeting with the Indian team management including captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri to figure a way forward. It is understood that the Indian players remain concerned although they have left the final decision with the BCCI.
Through Thursday the BCCI engaged in discussions with the ECB on the way forward in case there were more cases of the outbreak in the Indian camp. The BCCI also put out the option on the table of cancelling the final Test, but the ECB is understood to have made it clear that it would interpret any refusal to play as a forfeiture. The BCCI was keen to avoid such a scenario as not only would it see England square the series, but it could expose the BCCI to claims of lost revenue from broadcasters and the venue. The lost revenue could be up to £30 million (INR 306 crore).
The World Test Championship playing conditions, though, allow for a Covid-19 outbreak within a team as an acceptable reason for a Test to be abandoned – and not forfeited. With the WTC points system now based on the percentage of points available, a four-Test series instead of five would not have impacted any side’s points tally. In the scenario of the final Test not being played, India would pocket 26 WTC points while England will have 14 out of 48 points available from four Tests.
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Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo