Xtra Time Web Desk: Wanindu Hasaranga is almost certain to miss the upcoming three-T20I series against India, starting on Thursday in Lucknow, after he returned another positive Covid-19 test.
Hasaranga, third in the ICC rankings for T20I bowlers, initially tested positive on February 15, ahead of Sri Lanka’s third T20I against Australia. This forced him to miss the remainder of the tour, but the hope at the time was that following a weeklong quarantine, he would be ready to face India.
“Wanindu has finished his seven-day isolation. His CT value is very high in any case, so we hope that by tomorrow his PCR should be negative,” de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not that he has got a new infection, it’s just that he has not cleared the old infection according to their (Australia’s) level. Each country has a different cut-off for a positive result, Australia’s is fairly high and so to reach that value takes some time.
“He’ll miss the first match [against India] for sure. Our job is to get him to India. Of course, whether he plays or not is a different matter. That depends on his fitness and other factors.
“We’re doing PCRs daily, so as soon he’s negative, he can fly to India – maybe even tomorrow. He will then have to be assessed by the team doctor and the physio to determine if he can play any part in the tour. At the moment, he has no symptoms.”
As such, Hasaranga might have to stay on in India after the Test series, and join the training sessions for Royal Challengers Bangalore, who bought the legspin-bowling allrounder back at the recent IPL auction for INR 10.75 crore.