Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

India wicketkeeper Pant on 'way to recovery' after positive Covid test in England

India wicketkeeper Pant on 'way to recovery' after positive Covid test in England

India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is "on his way to recovery" after testing positive for Covid-19 as the squad prepares for a Test series in England, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said Thursday.

India's players, led by captain Virat Kohli, are currently in London but will enter a bio-secure bubble and leave for Durham later Thursday for a tour match next week.


The first Test begins in Nottingham on August 4.

India's squad remained in England after losing to New Zealand in the World Test Championship final last month.

Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, recently warned players in England to "avoid" crowded places including the Wimbledon tennis and European football championships.

Pant, 23, posted pictures of himself at a Euro 2020 match last month on his social media accounts.

Thursday's BCCI statement added training assistant/net bowler Dayanand Garani had also tested positive.

"Wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant nears completion of his self-quarantine period," the statement said.

"Pant, who had not stayed in the team hotel during the break period, tested positive on July 8.

"He is asymptomatic and currently undergoing self-isolation at the place where he reported positive. He is being closely monitored by the BCCI medical team and is on his way to recovery.

"He will be able to join the squad in Durham after returning two negative RT-PCR tests."

- Four in isolation -

The BCCI also said bowling coach B Arun, Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Easwaran had been identified as close contacts of Garani, who was in the team hotel when he tested positive.

Those four will undergo a 10-day isolation period and remain in their respective hotel rooms in London.

The BCCI said the entire India squad and staff in England, as well as travelling family members, had received a second Covid vaccine dose in London earlier this month.

The BCCI stressed the India contingent were all taking lateral flow tests on a daily basis to "mitigate any further risks".

India players were given a 20-day break before regrouping for a five-match series against England which marks the start of the second World Test Championship.

Kohli was unhappy with India's lack of warm-up games before the WTC final against New Zealand and tour fixtures before the England series were initially removed from the schedule because of Covid concerns.

India, however, will now play a County Select XI in a three-day match at Durham starting on Tuesday.

England have also been hit by the virus and fielded a second-string side, led by Ben Stokes, for their 3-0 one-day international series win against Pakistan.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan warned both English cricket's new domestic Hundred competition and the India series were at risk if they remained subject to the British government's current quarantine and isolation regulations.

"I fear for the 100 & the Indian Test series unless the isolation laws change," Vaughan tweeted...we are bound to have cases as is the case with @RishabhPant17.

"Plus further down the line I fear the Ashes could be hugely affected with players pulling out unless bubbles/quarantine rules change!"

More For You

FSCS employee fired for flashing incident during video call

The man stood up during a Teams call to adjust a cable behind his computer, without wearing any trousers.

iStock

FSCS employee fired for flashing incident during video call

A MANAGER was sacked from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) after accidentally flashing his genitals during a video call, an employment tribunal has ruled.

The digital production manager, referred to as DB in the tribunal’s ruling, was earning £58,580 a year when the incident occurred. He stood up during a Teams call to adjust a cable behind his computer, without wearing any trousers, The Telegraph reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harry Potter

The Harry Potter reboot becomes the most expensive TV show ever

Amazon

Can the £3.15 billion 'Harry Potter reboot' become the most expensive TV show ever?

The next time you think of a big-budget show, forget Game of Thrones or The Rings of Power. The new Harry Potter reboot is set to leave them all behind and not just in storytelling, but in cost. With a jaw-dropping budget of over $4.2 billion (₹33,600 crore), this upcoming series is on track to be the most expensive television production ever attempted.

Each of the 42 planned episodes, spread across seven seasons, will reportedly cost more than $100 million (₹837 crore). That’s more than many Marvel movies and nearly double the per-episode spend of Amazon’s The Rings of Power. But where is all that money going?

Keep ReadingShow less
Cyber Attack on Peter Green Chilled Impacts UK Supermarkets

This latest incident follows other recent cyber attacks on major UK supermarkets

iStock

Peter Green Chilled hit by cyber attack affecting major UK supermarkets

Peter Green Chilled, a key distributor to leading UK supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Aldi, has been hit by a cyber attack, disrupting operations and raising concerns over food supply and waste.

The cyber incident occurred on the evening of Wednesday 15 May. In an internal communication seen by the BBC, Peter Green Chilled informed partners the following day that no new orders would be processed on Thursday 16 May, though any deliveries prepared before the attack would still be dispatched.

Keep ReadingShow less
Priyanka Chopra Greets with Namaste at Bvlgari Event with Lisa & Liu Yifei

Liu Yifei, Lisa and Priyanka pose at the star-studded luxury gathering

Getty Images

Priyanka Chopra stuns with a namaste at Bvlgari Sicily event with BLACKPINK’s Lisa and Liu Yifei

At a recent Bvlgari event in Sicily, Priyanka Chopra turned heads in an elegant beige outfit, joining BLACKPINK’s Lisa and Chinese star Liu Yifei for an evening filled with fashion, glitz, and glamour. The trio, all associated with the luxury brand, were seen posing together, sparking a wave of reactions online as fans shared photos and videos from the event.

While Liu dazzled in a silver-toned off-shoulder gown, Lisa chose a white dress with soft yellow accents. Priyanka, keeping things minimal and classic, wore a sheer beige dress with subtle gold detailing, matched with Bvlgari jewellery, and tied her hair back into a sleek bun.

Keep ReadingShow less
Battlefront 3

'Star Wars Battlefront 2' was met with controversy at the time due to its use of loot boxes

Comicbook

Battlefront 3 demand grows as Andor finale boosts Battlefront 2 player numbers

Star Wars Battlefront 2 has experienced a significant resurgence in popularity, nearly eight years after its original release. The renewed interest follows the conclusion of Andor’s second season and the annual May the 4th celebrations, both of which appear to have reignited enthusiasm among fans for the multiplayer title.

Originally launched in 2017 by EA and DICE, Star Wars Battlefront 2 was met with controversy at the time due to its use of loot boxes, which drew widespread criticism. Despite the rocky start, the game was praised for its expansive content, covering all eras of the Star Wars universe—from the original trilogy to the prequels and sequel series. The game received substantial post-launch support for several years, introducing new characters, maps and modes, before official updates ceased in 2020.

Keep ReadingShow less