Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran tests positive for COVID-19

Bengal’s Ranji Trophy captain and India A batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran has tested positive for COVID-19, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has confirmed.

"Abhimanyu Easwaran, who returned to join the Bengal squad for the pre-season, underwent a mandatory Covid Test and was found positive. He is however asymptotic, but is now quarantined and under treatment of medical panel of CAB," said Debabrata Das, Joint Secretary, CAB, in a statement.

As per reports, the Bengal skipper went through a mandatory COVID-19 test before the pre-season camp and ended up testing positive for the virus.

Having tested positive, Easwaran will have to observe a quarantine period for the next couple of weeks. As a result, his participation in the CAB’s Bengal T20 Challenge, which begins on November 24, is highly unlikely.

Easwaran, who had joined Bengal’s pre-season training some days back, was set to represent East Bengal in the six-team T20 tournament. He might be available later, provided his team makes it to the final.

Notably, Easwaran led Bengal to the finals of Ranji Trophy 2019-20, where they lost to Saurashtra in Rajkot.

The COVID-19 impact on cricket

Coronavirus has had major repercussions on cricketing schedules around the globe. The Indian Premier League had to be postponed from March to September, and was eventually shifted from India to the UAE, where it recently concluded successfully.

At the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in March, India’s last two ODIs against South Africa at home were also abandoned. In Pakistan, the Pakistan Premier League (PSL) was postponed before the play-offs began. The tournament was recently completed, with Karachi Kings being crowned PSL 2020 champions.

India’s tour of Australia, which begins with the first ODI on November 27, has also come under the COVID-19 cloud, with new cases breaking out in Adelaide.

The Adelaide Oval is scheduled to host the first Test against India, beginning December 17. However, if the COVID-19 situation does not subside, Cricket Australia might be forced to shift the match outside Adelaide.