Pant joins Indian Test squad after recovering from Covid-19

Chester-le-Street: Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has joined the Indian Test team here after recovering from Covid-19 and completing isolation, the Indian cricket board has confirmed.

Hello @RishabhPant17, great to have you back 😀#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/aHYcRfhsLy

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 21, 2021

“Hello @RishabhPant17, great to have you back [emoticon: grinning face] #TeamIndia,” tweeted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The BCCI, on July 15, announced that both Pant and training assistant Dayanand Garani had tested positive for Covid-19. The Board said that the young wicketkeeper was already into his eighth day of isolation at the time of announcement.

Pant, who has now returned negative test results, had been in isolation for two weeks since testing positive.

India’s other wicketkeeper on the tour, Wriddhiman Saha is still in isolation along with bowling coach Bharat Arun and standby batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran for being in contact with Garani. The trio is expected to come out of isolation on July 24.

In the absence of both Pant and Saha, Indians have fielded KL Rahul as wicketkeeper in the ongoing warm-up match against County Select XI.