“It’s physically impossible to wear mask all the time” - Sourav Ganguly defends Rishabh Pant

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has defended Team India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant after the youngster tested positive for COVID-19 in England. Pant is currently in isolation and will have to return a negative test before rejoining the Indian squad.

Pant was heavily trolled on social media for attending a EURO 2020 football match during India’s three-week break from the bio-bubble, without wearing a mask. However, according to Ganguly, it would be unfair to blame Pant. Defending the young cricketer, Ganguly told News 18 in an interview:

“We have seen Euro Championship and Wimbledon in England. Rules have changed (with crowd being allowed inside venues). They were on leave and it’s physically impossible to wear mask all the time.”

Good experience watching ⚽️. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/LvOYex5svE

— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) June 30, 2021

Ganguly asserted that he isn’t too worried about the developments in the Indian camp. He assured that everything is fine and that things are being taken care of appropriately.

After Pant, throwdown specialist Dayanand Garani also tested positive for COVID-19. Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and bowling coach Bharat Arun were sent into isolation after being identified as close contacts.

Speaking to ANI, Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the BCCI, said:

"Team India is fine, there is no problem. Secretary Jay Shah has written a letter to team management everybody should follow the COVID protocols, strict measures whatever could be adopted as per the recommendations must be followed and all safety precautions should be taken and the team has to be very careful during the England tour."

Just one single match can’t decide whether India are bad or good: Sourav Ganguly

A round of applause to #TeamIndia for their incredible journey to the #WTC21 Final. 👏 👏Congratulations to New Zealand for winning the World Test Championship. 👍👍Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/CmrtWscFua pic.twitter.com/iveB9RTUDa

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 23, 2021

Having lost the World Test Championship (WTC) final to New Zealand, India will be under pressure going into the five-match Test series against England. However, Ganguly expressed confidence that India will play good cricket in the upcoming series against the hosts. He stated:

“It can’t be predicted. They (India) will play good cricket. Just one single match can’t decide whether they are bad or good. It’s a long series, so there will be chances for both the teams to equalise.”

Before the Test series, which begins on August 4, India will take on the County Championship XI in a three-day practice match in Durham, starting July 20.

The entire Indian contingent including travelling family members and caretakers were administered with the second dose of covid vaccine earlier this month in London. To mitigate any further risks, the Indian contingent is taking the Lateral Flow Test on a daily basis. #ENGvIND

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 15, 2021