Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Chennai Super Kings hitter, is back inside the team’s biobubble after returning two negative Covid-19 tests after two weeks of isolation at a separate quarantine facility in Dubai. On Monday, the franchise confirmed on Twitter that Gaikwad had resumed training. It is not yet clear whether this makes him eligible for selection for the second Super Kings game against Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah on Tuesday.
The first thing you want to see on a Monday morning. Look who’s in the back! #Ruturaj #WhistlePodu #Love pic.twitter.com/GXYIMs1OBx
– Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) September 21, 2020
Under IPL medical protocols, players who tested positive on the bubble must be isolated in a separate quarantine facility for 14 days before returning two negative tests on consecutive days. After that, the player must undergo medical tests performed by the BCCI before he can return to training.
Gaikwad was one of “10-12 members of the Super Kings contingent” who tested positive in the first week of testing upon arrival in the UAE.
Unlike Deepak Chahar, the fast pitcher, Gaikwad was not cleared immediately after completing his two-week quarantine and was unavailable for selection during his first IPL game on Saturday, which was won by Super Kings.
In the wake of Suresh Raina’s sudden retirement from IPL, Super Kings management is confident that Gaikwad could replace him. Gaikwad has impressive credentials – he has scored more A List runs than anyone for India A in the past two years – 843 runs in 15 innings. Those runs have come as a starter or No. 3, the position in which Raina has batted primarily for Super Kings.
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