India tour of England 2022 will officially start on Friday when both the teams lock horns in the much-anticipated Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
A lot will be at stake when India and England resume their rivalry in Test cricket on Friday. Team India are eyeing their first Test series win in England since 2007 and are in a good spot to clinch the series. They are leading the series 2-1 and a draw will be enough for them to clinch a memorable series win.
It, however, won’t be easy against the high-flying England team. The hosts are high on confidence after clean sweeping New Zealand in the recently-concluded three-match Test series. In all the three Tests, they chased down 250-plus total in the fourth innings.
Under new captain Ben Stokes and new coach Brendon McCullum, England are looking like a resurgent side and will be keen to continue their recent form against India.
India tour of England 2022 – What If A Player Is Tested Positive For Covid-19 During The Match?
While both the teams will be focusing fully on the upcoming match, there is no denying that both the teams will be distracted by the possibility of losing a player due to Covid-19. Team India have already lost the services of their skipper Rohit Sharma after he was tested positive last week.
England also had to lose the services of Ben Foakes on day three of the third Test against New Zealand and was subsequently ruled out of the game. Both the teams will be cautious going into the game and hope that they do not lose any player due to Covid-19.
But what if any player playing in the match ends up contracting the virus during the match. Well in that case, both the teams will be allowed to replace him. According to the ICC’s COVID-19 Replacement rule:
“COVID-19 Replacements: Teams will be allowed to replace players displaying symptoms of COVID-19 during a Test match. In line with concussion replacements, the Match Referee will approve the nearest like-for-like replacement However, the regulation for COVID-19 replacements will not be applicable in ODIs and T20Is.”