Rishabh Pant rejoins team after completing mandatory isolation, available for opening Test

In what comes a huge relief to the UK bound Indian squad, first-choice wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant has fully recovered from COVID-19  and has joined the squad back in Durham after completing his mandatory self-isolation period. 

The swashbuckling left-handed batsman who had tested positive for the deadly virus on 8th July hasn’t travelled with the rest of the team to Durham. The Indians are currently competing in a three day first-class game against a County Select XI in the lead up to the five-match Test series against England starting from 4th August. 

The news of Pant’s return to the squad was revealed by BCCI through a tweet via their official Twitter handle. Pant was slated to end his isolation period on 18th July subject to clearing two negative COVID-19 tests. Pant didn’t join the team back immediately after the end of his isolation and KL Rahul donned the keeping gloves in the first-class game. 

Meanwhile barring Pant, four other members were also put into isolation. The likes of Wriddhiman Saha, standby opener Abhimanyu Easwaran and bowling coach Bharath Arun had to self-isolate themselves after training assistant Dayanand Garani tested positive for COVID-19 and they were identified as close contacts. 

Coming back to the practice match, India batted well to post 311 after batting first on the back of a brilliant century from the blade of KL Rahul. They skittled out the County XI for just 220 runs on Day 2 of the three-day match with Umesh Yadav bagging three and Mohammed Siraj scalping a couple.