Indian cricketers Yuzvendra Chahal and Krishnappa Gowtham were forced to stay back in Sri Lanka as they tested positive for COVID-19 in pre-departure tests. They will be joining all-rounder Krunal Pandya, who is already in isolation as he was infected earlier in the week.

A Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) had earlier said that the squad has left Sri Lanka but were still waiting at the airport after the fresh cases came to light and is expected to leave later in the day.

“Yuzi and Gowtham have tested positive as the team was supposed to return by a charter flight to Bengaluru sans Krunal Pandya. But now as per rules, Gowtham and Yuzi will also have to be in seven-day isolation in Sri Lanka,” a BCCI source in Colombo told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Every member before boarding a return flight was supposed to undergo an RT-PCR test and there Gowtham and Chahal, deemed as close contacts of Krunal, were found to be positive.

Six others who were in close contact with Krunal were allowed to board the flight. They are: Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw and Deepak Chahar.

As far as Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav are concerned, they are supposed to fly to the United Kingdom and join the Indian team as replacement players after Avesh Khan and Washington Sundar got injured.

India was touring Sri Lanka for a six-match white-ball series – 3 One-day International matches and 3 T20I matches. While they steamrolled the hosts to win the 3-match ODI series, they were outclassed by the hosts in the third and final T20I to lose the T20I series 1-2.

In the third T20I, the Indian batsmen were dismantled by Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who finished with figures of 4/9 in his stipulated four overs. He was also adjudged man of the series and man of the match.