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South African bowler Anrich Nortje, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier, has returned three negative tests and has finally joined Delhi Capitals' bio-bubble. The franchise has also said that Nortje returned a false positive report earlier, and never actually suffered from COVID-19.
Anrich Nortje, along with Kagiso Rabada, started their quarantine in Mumbai on April 6. Both of them traveled together to India from South Africa, and hence it was a surprise that Nortje tested positive for the virus while Rabada didn't.
The Delhi Capitals took to Twitter to give an update on the situation:
Anrich Nortje said in a video released by DC:
"Looking forward to getting to the stadium. It was nice to finally watch the IPL. It was nice to see it in India as well. So excited to get on the field."
The South African has missed the first two games of the season, but he should now be available for DC's third encounter against the Punjab Kings on Sunday.
DC have had a mixed start to their IPL 2021 campaign. After trouncing Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets in their opening match, the 2020 season finalists came up short against the Rajasthan Royals in a tight game on Thursday.
Anrich Nortje's impactful IPL 2020
Getting Anrich Nortje back in DC's setup will undoubtedly be a big boost for new skipper Rishabh Pant. Nortje's replacement, Tom Curran, has had a tough time so far, conceding runs at an economy of 10 and 9.55 in the two opening games. Moreover, Curran bowled the final over in the match against Rajasthan Royals, where Chris Morris smashed him for two sixes.
One of the primary reasons for DC's successful campaign last season was the fast-bowling pair of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. The latter picked up 22 wickets in 16 games at an economy of 8.39 in IPL 2020. Nortje was brought in as a replacement for Chris Woakes, who pulled out of IPL 2020 due to personal reasons.
Nortje's ability to bowl fast and test batsmen with hard lengths could make him a dangerous proposition for any batting line-up. It remains to be seen whether the 27-year-old can hit the heights of last season.
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