Shastri's Covid Result Distracted The Team For A While, Reveals Vikram Rathour

Cricket Image for Shastri's Covid Result Distracted The Team For A While, Reveals Vikram Rathour (Image Source: AFP)

India vs England 2021: The Indian players were distracted for a brief while after they heard that head coach Ravi Shastri had tested positive for Covid-19, said batting coach Vikram Rathour.

According to a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (BCCI) on Sunday, Shastri's lateral flow test returned a positive result following which he had to be isolated along with bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar, who were his close contacts. Physiotherapist Nitin Patel was also isolated.

"Of course, we are missing them massively. Ravi Bhai, Arun, and Sridhar have been extremely important part of this set-up and they have done extremely well in the last 5-6 years. They have played a major role in the team doing well. But this is what it is. It is a fact that they are not here. So it was a bit of distraction in the morning. But we had a word, we spoke. We decided we need to focus on what is in our hand, which is cricket," said Rathour to media in a virtual interaction after the end of the fourth day's play at The Oval.

"I think the boys did extremely well to not get distracted because there was a potential to get distracted from the situation that happened last night. But a lot of credit should go to the boys. The way they handled themselves. We played as a team," added Rathour.

The former India opening batsman said that Shastri felt a bit of discomfort on Saturday night.

"It was around 8 in the night yesterday, he was having a little bit of discomfort. So the medical team decided to go for a lateral flow test and it came positive and that is when we found out that he was positive. The close contacts were identified and isolated. We will wait for the medical team to let us know when they can join back."