Sourav Ganguly and Rishabh Pant were together for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2019 (IANS Photo)
Sourav Ganguly and Rishabh Pant were together for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2019 (IANS Photo)

Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian cricketer, has defended Rishabh Pant, who has tested positive for COVID-19. Virat Kohli’s men are currently on a break and the left-handed Rishabh Pant was seen enjoying and going to watch Euro 2020 matches. The southpaw won’t be travelling with the team to Durham for preparation ahead of the five-match Test series against England.

The series gets underway on August 4 at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham with the other games to be played at the Lord’s, Headingley, Kennington Oval, and Old Trafford.

Sourav Ganguly- Twitter
Sourav Ganguly- Twitter

Sourav Ganguly Defends Rishabh Pant Saying It’s Physically Impossible To Wear Masks All The Time

Sourav Ganguly, also the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), backed Rishabh Pant, saying that it’s not possible to wear masks everywhere.

“We have seen Euro Championship and Wimbledon in England. Rules have changed (with the crowd being allowed inside venues). They were on leave and it’s physically impossible to wear masks all the time,” Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview with News18.

Rishabh Pant was spotted with a friend at a packed Wembley Stadium enjoying the Euro 2020 knock-out match between England and Germany. Image Source : TWITTER
Rishabh Pant. Image Source: TWITTER

Earlier, a BCCI source stated that Rishabh Pant contracted COVID-19 and had been isolating for the past eight days.

Sourav Ganguly, president of the BCCI, defended Rishabh Pant after the wicketkeeper-batsman contracted the coronavirus in England. On Thursday, the BCCI revealed that Rishabh Pant and the team’s training assistant cum net bowler Dayanand Garani tested positive for COVID-19 and will not travel with the rest of the squad to Durham where Team India are scheduled to play a practice match ahead of their five-match Test series against England.

Rishabh Pant Affected By The Delta Variant Of The Covid-19 Virus

As per reports, Rishabh Pant has been affected by the Delta variant, which has resulted in the surge of COVID-19 cases in England.

“He is in quarantine at an acquaintance’s place and won’t be traveling with the team to Durham on Thursday,” the source was quoted as saying, ESPNcricinfo reported.

“Yes, one player has tested positive but he has been in isolation for the last eight days. He was not staying in any hotel with the team, so no other player has been affected. As of now, no other player has tested positive. Also, you must be aware our secretary Jay Shah has written a letter to all players to maintain protocol,” BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla told.

Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant | Source: Twitter
Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant | Source: Twitter

The Indian team is set to play a practice match, starting July 20 to prepare for the high-voltage series. The Test series also marks the start of the 2021-23 cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC). Back in June, India played the final of the previous cycle against New Zealand at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. However, they went on to lose the match and the inaugural WTC title by eight wickets.

Bowling coach Bharat Arun, Wriddhiman Saha, and Abhimanyu Easwaran were identified as close contacts and were isolated from the rest of the squad. The trio along with Rishabh Pant and the training assistant did not travel with the team to Durham.  Team India traveled to Durham and is set to play a three-day practice match starting July 20 to gear up for the upcoming Test series.