R Ashwin Covid: What happened to R Ashwin? Will R Ashwin play England vs India Birmingham Test?

R Ashwin Covid: Indian off-spinner has not travelled to England yet after being tested positive for the Coronavirus.

England and India will face each other in a one-off test match at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. In 2021, The Indian team went to play the IPL leaving the last test due to a Covid scare.

A lot has changed since then, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid have replaced Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri as the captain and head coach of the side, respectively. For England, they also have a new duo of captain and coach in Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. This test match can be an interesting one to watch out.

R Ashwin Covid

Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has been tested Covid positive, and he has not yet taken a flight to the UK. The rest of the Indian contingent is already in the UK, and they have started training as well. R Ashwin was a part of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022, and he was rested for the India vs South Africa T20Is in India.

R Ashwin is currently serving his quarantine period in India and it is expected to end soon. Ashwin will then complete all the safety protocols before departing for the UK. There is no mandatory quarantine period upon arrival in England. The test will start from 1 July 2022, but India will play one practice game against Leicestershire.

“Ashwin hasn’t traveled with the squad to the U.K. as he has tested positive for COVID-19 before departure. But we are hopeful that he will recover well in time before the Test match starts on July 1. However, he might miss the practice game against Leicestershire,” a BCCI source was quoted by The Indian Express.

R Ashwin is expected to be in England before the first match, but it is doubtful that whether he can make his place in the playing eleven. Looking at the English conditions, India can go in with four pacers with a spin all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja. After the tests, there are T20Is and ODIs on the tour as well.