Ahead of the upcoming 3-match ODI series between India and West Indies,  opener Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad – tested positive for the Covid-19 virus during their mandatory isolation period.

The Indian team gathered in Ahmedabad on January 31 for the upcoming series against the West Indies, the team were undergoing three-day mandatory isolation period post break from the South Africa series. The series is one of the main as it is India’s 1000th ODI match but the trio will be missing the series as they will have to undergo a week-long isolation.

Three players — Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan have tested positive. However there are multiple COVID positive cases among non-coaching administrative support staff. It could be between two to four people,” a veteran BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“The players are largely asymptomatic and hopefully will be fine by the end of the isolation period. You feel bad for Shikhar as he might have to miss the series and he is not a part of T20 squad,” the official said.

All those who have tested positive have been moved to a different floor in Hyatt Regency Hotel and are in isolation, according to Cricbuzz.

The officials also revealed the captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and coach Rahul Dravid have all tested negative as of Wednesday. Meanwhile Ruturaj Gaikwad has contracted the virus for second time.

“If you remember, Ruturaj had tested positive in UAE during the 2020 IPL and went through hell. He had a 14-day quarantine back then and missed first part of the season in the Emirates. This is the second time he has tested positive,” the official said.

BCCI has decided to conduct a fresh round of Covid testing on Thursday morning before deciding on the next course of action

“They have returned negative as of today.” All those who tested negative will complete their mandatory isolation on Thursday. They will enter the bubble, if they test negative again on Thursday.

“The testing protocol set by BCCI medical team is for every day RT-PCR as RAT (Rapid Antigen Test) is often not conclusive. Although teams are supplied with RAT kits in case any player shows symptoms and wants to do a self test,” the veteran official said.