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A day before India’s fifth and final Test against England in Manchester, one more member of the travelling team’s support staff tested positive for COVID-19. ESPNCricinfo states that it is Team India’s assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar who has contracted the virus.

As a result, the Indian cricket team was asked to stay back in their hotel and their training session as well as the pre-match press conference was cancelled on Thursday. 

It is said that Parmar began experiencing Covid symptoms after returning from training on Wednesday. He took the test the same evening and returned positive. 

The news comes as a big concern for India as Parmar has been working closely with players like Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja.

Parmar only took charge of the team midway through the fourth Test after lead physio Nitin Patel tested positive for COVID. The Indian cricket team was gripped with sudden cases of Covid on Sunday, September 5 after coach Ravi Shastri tested positive for the virus.

Soon after Parmar was diagnosed, the entire team went through another round of testing on Thursday. While the results for the tests are yet to be confirmed, there is an air of uncertainty about the fifth Test.

"We don't know if the match will happen at the moment. Hopefully, we can get some game," BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying by PTI.

According to the UK’s COVID-19 protocols, those testing positive will have to isolate for 10 days and return two negative tests.

"In Manchester, the BCCI is creating a separate Indian T20 League bubble for the cricketers as there will be bubble to bubble transfer on September 15. It was pre-decided," a senior BCCI source was quoted by NDTV.

India produced a sensational bowling effort on the final day of the fourth Test and currently lead the series 2-1. The fifth Test is slated to commence on Friday, September 10 from 3:30 PM IST.

Featured photo: AFP / Oli Scarff

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