England hit by sickness bug ahead of final Test, could be diarrhoea: Report

Changing weather in Ahmedabad seems to have affected the visiting England team. According to reports, the English camp has been hit by a sickness bug ahead of the final Test, which begins at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

As per a report in IANS, a sudden rise in temperature has affected the England team. A few, including assistant coach Paul Collingwood, are reportedly suffering from diarrhoea.

England captain Joe Root confirmed that a bug has hit the team camp, but refused to divulge too many details. He was quoted as saying:

"There's been a little bit of stuff flying around. We'll keep monitoring it. To be honest, I don't know exactly who's been affected badly at this stage but it's just really important we try and give everyone the best chance of being available for selection ahead of this game.”

Asked if England are open to calling up the white-ball specialists in case too many players are affected by the sickness bug, Joe Root replied:

"Everyone's trained on Tuesday, everyone's been in to practice so we'll monitor it and try and make sure it's not a problem.”

Indian captain Virat Kohli, on the other hand, confirmed that the hosts are having no such issues. At a virtual press conference, he asserted:

"There are no health concerns or health issues. Everyone is fit and fine. Probably, (England players) would have been caught by a change in weather. It has been pretty hot over the last couple of days. It was pretty pleasant the first few days. That obviously becomes a factor at this time of the year when the weather changes rapidly. It takes a bit of time to adapt.”

All set for our final Test of the winter 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏏 pic.twitter.com/vNUzih3wSC

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 3, 2021

Ending with a drawn series in India will be something special for England: Joe Root

While England are out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final race, Joe Root has admitted that drawing a series in India will be a big thing as well.

Joe Root said ahead of the final Test:

"Ending with a drawn series will be doing something special in India. Unfortunately, we can't qualify for the final now but a draw would be a fantastic achievement and that's all I can really say as an England captain.”

Batting & bowling drills 💪Catching practice 👌#TeamIndia gear up for the fourth & final @Paytm #INDvENG Test in Ahmedabad. 👍👍 pic.twitter.com/9wqZglQ4fu

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 3, 2021

India need to win or draw the final Test against England in Ahmedabad to progress to the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The visitors were eliminated after losing the pink-ball Test.