Chahal, Gowtham test positive; to stay back in Sri Lanka: BCCI official

Six others -- Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw and Deepak Chahar -- are free to depart the country

Indian cricketers Krishnappa Gowtham and Yuzvendra Chahal have been forced to stay back in Sri Lanka after testing positive for COVID-19 in pre-departure tests, joining all-rounder Krunal Pandya who is already in isolation after being infected earlier. A BCCI official had earlier in the day said that the squad has left from Colombo but it is still waiting at the airport after the fresh cases came to light and is expected to leave later in the day. "Yuzi (Chahal) 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.