Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw will be flying to the United Kingdom from Colombo on Saturday (July 31) despite Sri Lanka being a Red List country under the UK Government’s travel advisory. Their entry into England is being facilitated by a specially-created rule for sportspersons by the UK Government.
Normally, only travelers from Green List or Amber List countries are allowed in the UK. Those travelling from the Red List countries — which Sri Lanka is — can be allowed only if they are the UK and Irish citizens.
Suryakumar Yadav And Prithvi Shaw Wil Enter The UK As The UK Government Created Elite Player Exemption
That Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw will still enter the UK, is because the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have made use of a special provision that permits Elite Sportspersons in the UK this summer. This is the very rule that allowed footballers and tennis players into the country for Euro Football and Wimbledon earlier this summer.
“The UK Government created Elite player exemption earlier this summer to help the Indian touring party travel in the first place. The same rule was used for other sports like football and tennis for the Euros and Wimbledon. And now that is being used for the two new players,” a top ECB official told Cricbuzz on Friday (July 30).
The Indian Test squad in England has already seen three of the players being ruled out. While opener Shubman Gill withdrew due to leg injury and has since returned home, off-spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar has hurt his finger, and pace bowler Avesh Khan, who was among the standby players, has suffered a fracture his left thumb.
As a result, the selectors have pushed Abhimanyu Easwaran into the main squad and have also called up Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav. The Test series begins on August 4 in Nottingham. The second Test will be played on August 12-16 at Lord’s, London, the third Test on August 25-29 in Leeds, the fourth Test between September 2 and 6 at the Oval, London, and the fifth and final Test in Manchester from September 10 to 14.
Prithvi Shaw And Suryakumar Yadav Have To Undergo Quarantine For 10 Days In England Upon Arrival Ruling Them Out Of The First 2 Tests
Despite the special permission, Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav will still have to undergo quarantine for 10 days. The isolation period effectively rules them out of the first two Tests. The second Test starts at Lord’s on August 12, by when the two players’ quarantine period should be over but the general perception is that they will have to have some red-ball practice before being considered for a place in a Test against England.
Meanwhile, the Indian Test team in England will travel to Nottingham on Saturday, the venue for the first Test which starts on August 4. The team was supposed to have its last net session in Durham on Friday but it had to be cancelled because of bad weather. Meanwhile, the Indian white-ball team had returned home from Sri Lanka.
At around 4 pm on Friday, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side, barring five players, landed in Bangalore by a charter flight from Colombo. Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Krishnappa Gowtham, besides Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav, have stayed back for various reasons. Having tested positive for Covid-19, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Krishnappa Gowtham will have to spend a few more nights in Colombo before they can return home.