No handshakes, only fist bumps for England players on Sri Lanka tour: Joe Root

London, March 3:  England captain Joe Root has said that his teammates will not shake hands during their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka because of the coronavirus outbreak and will instead greet each other with fist bumps.

During their last tour of South Africa, England players suffered gastroenteritis and flu problems. In fact, a situation had arisen where England were unable to field 11 fit players on the ground.

"After the illnesses that swept through the squad in South Africa, we are well aware of the importance of keeping contact to a minimum," Root was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"We are washing hands regularly and wiping down surfaces using the anti-bacterial wipes and gels we've been given in our immunity packs."

The skipper added that England "fully expect the tour to continue as planned" but the team is in regular contact with the authorities and will "proceed as advised".

England are scheduled to play two Test matches in Sri Lanka from March 19 to 31. Before that, the Three Lions will play two practice matches as well.

A number of sporting events have already been postponed because of the virus, which originated in China.

More than 3,000 people have lost their lives across the globe due to the deadly disease while the number of confirmed cases has crossed 80,000-mark.

In India, at least three cases of coronavirus were reported on Monday.