Krunal, Gowtham and Chahal stay back in Lanka

Gowtham and Chahal were already among the eight isolated cricketers but on Friday, their pre-departure RT-PCR reports came positive and they had to be put in mandatory isolation as per health protocols of the country.

“Chahal and Gowtham have tested positive as the team was supposed to return by a chartered flight to Bengaluru sans Krunal Pandya. But now as per rules, Gowtham and Chahal will also have to be in seven-day isolation in Sri Lanka. The contingent has reached Bengaluru,” a BCCI source said.

“They will take connecting flights to their respective cities from Bengaluru as they get a much-required break after more than six weeks inside the bio-bubbles in Mumbai and Colombo,” the source added.

Meanwhile, England all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken an indefinite break from the game to “prioritise his mental wellbeing” and withdrawn from the home Test series against India beginning August 4. Craig Overton has replaced Stokes in the England squad for the India series.