Five players are set to join the India squad at the Under-19 World Cup as back-up for those who have been quarantined after testing COVID-19 positive.
The five cricketers — Uday Saharan (Rajasthan), Abhishek Porel (Bengal), Rishith Reddy (Hyderabad), Ansh Gosai (Saurashtra) and Pushpendra Singh Rathore (Rajasthan) — will leave for Antigua on Saturday to serve the mandatory six-day quarantine.
The Hindu understands that the decision was taken during a conference call between the National junior selectors, the team management, that includes National Cricket Academy head of cricket V.V.S Laxman, and BCCI authorities on Thursday night.
With five of India’s 17-member squad testing COVID-19 positive, players from the back-up group have been identified as like-for-like replacements.
Four of the five back-up players, barring Porel, were among the reserves announced at the time the squad was picked last month.
Porel, a wicketkeeper-batter, has been drafted in place of Amrit Raj Upadhyay, a fellow Bengal left-arm spinner.
It is understood that with both left-arm spinners in the squad in the West Indies being available and in form, it was decided to instead prefer a back-up wicketkeeper.
