“I tested positive for COVID with mild symptoms. I have quarantined myself at home and taken all necessary precautions,” Harbhajan tweeted. “I would request those who have come in contact with me to get tested as soon as possible. Please be safe and take care of yourself,” he added.
Harbhajan was due to participate in the ongoing Legends League Cricket tournament in Muscat from the second and final leg from January 24, but he will not be able to participate now. The Turbanator is said to have joined the Indian Maharaja side in Oman and it would have been the first tournament for the off spinner after he decided to hang up his shoes.
In their first game of the tournament, India Maharajas defeated Asia Lions by six wickets, thanks to a 40-ball 80* from Yusuf Pathan.
One of India’s most successful off spinners, Harbhajan took 417 wickets in 103 Tests, 269 wickets in 236 ODIs and 25 scalps in 28 T20Is in his illustrious career.
Meanwhile, India’s Under-19 squad taking part in the ICC U19 World Cup in the West Indies suffered a spate of COVID-positive cases. As many as six members of the Indian foals tested positive prior to their Group B match against Ireland.
However, Indian U-19 captain Yash Dhull, his deputy Sheikh Rasheed and four other teammates missed the game after testing positive for the deadly pandemic. The four-time champions India still stormed into the quarter-finals with a massive 174-point win in the match, in which they barely managed to put together a playing XI.
In their next league game of the tournament against Uganda, the Indian Colts will still miss five of their key players, including captain Dhull. Of the six isolated players, only all-rounder Vasu Vats tested negative.
Skipper Dhull, Aaradhya Yadav and Shaik Rasheed, who had tested positive in the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), returned positive reports in the RT-PCR test, along with Manav Parakh, who tested negative in RAT. Sidharth Yadav had already tested positive in the RT-PCR test before the race in Ireland.
All infected players must undergo five days of isolation according to tournament protocols and can only rejoin the team after three negative tests within that period.
(With PTI inputs)
