Book launch in focus as possible spreader event
MUMBAI: On Day 2 of the fourth Test in India’s tour of England, when India was still some way from scripting a memorable win at the Oval, Ravi Shastri tested positive for Covid-19 and went into isolation. That was on September 3. Bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar were identified as Shastri’s close contacts and told to isolate as well, and a day later, they too returned with positive tests.
India headed to Manchester for the now cancelled fifth Test without three of their four main coaching staff.
This has brought a book launch under the scanner as the possible spreader event. On September 1, a day before the Test, Shastri hosted the function in the team hotel in London.
Some team members, including captain Virat Kohli, were present at that event where attendees were without masks and mingled freely. Though this was not in breach of any stated Covid-protocols, since there were none in place for the Pataudi Trophy series in line with UK guidelines, the English media has quoted ECB sources saying that they were unhappy at not being notified about the event in advance.
The BCCI will await the team manager’s tour report, as per the norm, but two leading board officials HT spoke to didn’t think a probe or disciplinary action was warranted.
“We know that the ECB didn’t have any bio-bubble protocols in place during the tour. We can’t single out that function for Covid,” a BCCI official, who didn’t wish to be named, said.
“The government there has relaxed all social distancing norms for the public. The crowds have been full.” The UK government had lifted almost all Covid-related curbs on July 19, removing social distancing norms and making wearing masks advisable but not mandatory.
The BCCI also did not have a specific Covid management plan in place for the Indian team. For example, the team members traveled by train from London to Manchester and not in private buses.
If the BCCI decides to go by the book, it could be argued that any event on tour needs prior BCCI permission, which Shastri’s book launch did not have. Back in July, during the break between the World Test Championship final and the England tour, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had written to the players asking them to avoid crowds after Rishabh Pant had tested positive. Some team members, and Shastri, were spotted attending crowded events like the Wimbledon and the European Cup. But BCCI officials HT spoke to played down the incident and said that they wanted to move on.
The English team too did not have any Covid-related restrictions on them.
Jos Buttler, for example, left the team to attend to the birth of his second child and came back into the England camp without the need for a quarantine period. Others, like Moeen Ali, joined the team straight from The Hundred competition.
Board officials agree that the premature end to this tour shows cricket is far from being risk-free if played without creating bio-bubbles. The players were justifiably concerned of the 10-day isolation protocol if someone within the team tested positive.
When Pant had tested positive for Covid, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Wriddhiman Saha, Arun and a throwdown specialist with the team had to isolate for 10 days after they were identified as close contacts.
The World Test Championship final before that went off smoothly as the ICC conducted it within a strict bio-bubble at Southampton.
That is again to be the norm as players from India and England are set to travel to UAE for the IPL bubble, followed by the T20 World Cup bubble.