IND vs ENG 2021: Saha, Easwaran and Bharat Arun on their way to join the Indian team; throwdown specialist still in isolation [Exclusive]

India wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha, standby opener Abhimanyu Easwaran and bowling coach Bharat Arun are currently on their way to Durham to join the bio-bubble ahead of the five-Test series against England, sources close to the Indian team confirmed to Sportskeeda.

All three of them have completed their mandatory 10-day isolation after being deemed close contacts of Rishabh Pant and throwdown specialist Dayanand Garani – both of whom tested positive for COVID-19.

Pant returned RT-PCR positive on July 8 and was isolating at a relative’s place, before recovering completely and joining the rest of the squad on July 21. Garani, on the other hand, was confirmed to have contracted the deadly virus on July 14 and was quarantining at the team hotel in London with the three others.

However, Sportskeeda understands Garani is still isolating at the hotel, the reason for which is not known yet. Has the 28-year-old from West Bengal again tested positive? Or is extending his quarantine just a precautionary measure since he was the only one among the remaining four members to have the virus? Only time will tell.

Saha, Easwaran and Arun had to return two RT-PCR negative reports and undergo full cardio check-ups before being given the green light to take the five-and-a-half hour road trip to Chester-le-Street, Durham.

Nonetheless, the Indian squad will be bolstered with more personnel after fast bowler Avesh Khan and off-spinner Washington Sundar got injured in the warm-up match against County Select XI and were ruled out of the England tour. The remaining bowlers would benefit tremendously from the presence of Bharat Arun.

Wriddhiman Saha will be available for India's second practice game, which is an intra-squad match scheduled to be played at the Riverside Ground in Durham from July 28.

However, it remains to be seen if the team management drafts Abhimanyu Easwaran into the main squad, now that regular opener Shubman Gill has gone home after suffering shin splints.

---

Full schedule and squad for India tour of England 2021 (Timings in IST)

1st Test: August 4-8 – Trent Bridge, Nottingham – 3:30 PM

2nd Test: August 12-16 – Lord’s, London – 3:30 PM

3rd Test: August 25-29 – Headingley, Leeds – 3:30 PM

4th Test: September 2-6 – Kennington Oval, London – 3:30 PM

5th Test: September 10-14 – Old Trafford, Manchester – 3:30 PM

India squad: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha

Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Arzan Nagwaswalla

---