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'Shastri wasn't able to talk properly. There was a book launch...': Ishant recalls Covid outbreak during Oval Test
Speaking to Jatin Sapru on his YouTube show, Ishant revealed that the entire Indian camp was scared and Shastri couldn't speak properly.
The ongoing fifth Test between India and England at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground was supposed to be played in 2021, but a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp led to the postponement of the Test match to 2022. Recalling the troubling time at the Indian camp, veteran India pacer Ishant Sharma revealed how things had unfolded following the controversial book launch show which was attended by then India head coach Ravi Shastri.
Speaking to Jatin Sapru on his YouTube show - 'The Warm-Up Show' - before of the start rescheduled fifth Test in Birmingham on Friday, Ishant revealed that the entire Indian camp was scared and Shastri couldn't speak properly.
India vs England Live Score, 5th Test Day 1
"We all were pretty scared during that time. I clearly remember, during the Oval Test, Ravi bhai was in the dressing room and he was not able to talk properly. There was his book launch and we thought he had caught cold because things were normal in England at that time. He was also looking normal it was just that he was not able to talk properly. Bharat Arun looked all right and even R Sridhar was totally fine. Then we got to know through Rapid Antigen Test that the three of them were positive. Actually we were scared at that time," he said.
Shastri, along with his support staff - fielding coach R Sridhar, bowling coach Bharath Arun and physio Nitin Patel - had all tested positive for the dreaded coronavirus during the Oval Test while junior physio Yogesh Parmar returned a positive result ahead of the fifth Test which was then slated to be played in Manchester.
Talking about the fifth Test, the Jasprit Bumrah-led Indian side have been put to bat first in Birmingham after England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss.
