Wicket-keeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha, bowling coach Bharat Arun and standby opener Abhimanyu Easwaran have joined the Indian camp in Durham ahead of the five-match Test series against England after completing their isolation period. The news was announced by the official Twitter handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Sharing snaps of the trio in India's practice jersey, BCCI wrote, "Great to have you back gents. Team India bowling coach B. Arun, Wriddhiman Saha, and Abhimanyu Easwaran have joined the team in Durham."
Fans were also thrilled to see the trio back in Indian colours and shared their excitement by flooding the comment section of the post.
"Best of luck, champ," wrote a fan.
"All the best," said another.
A few also asked the BCCI for their replacement as opener Shubman Gill returned to India after suffering an injury. Pacer Avesh Khan has also been ruled out due to an injury in his finger.
"Kis kis ko England bhejre?" asked a user.
Saha, Easwaran and Bharat Arun were asked to undergo a mandatory 10-days self-isolation after coming in close contact with wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and throwdown specialist Dayanand Garani. Both Pant and Garani had tested positive for COVID-19. While Pant's COVID test returned positive on July 8, it was confirmed that Garani contracted the virus on July 14.
Pant's quarantine ended on July 18 and after that, he took two COVID-19 tests before joining Team India's bio-bubble. However, Pant did not join the Indian squad instantly; instead, he joined the team on Thursday, July 22.
Pant's arrival in the Indian camp was confirmed by the BCCI. Sharing a photograph of the Delhi Capitals (DC) batsman in an orange T-shirt, BCCI wrote, "Hello Rishabh Pant, great to have you back."
The Delhi lad also posted a bunch of pictures on Twitter after returning to the team's bio-bubble.
Pant was not part of India's three-day warm-up match against County Championship XI, which was played between July 20 and 23 in Durham. In Pant's absence, opener KL Rahul was asked to keep the wickets.
The red-ball series between India and England is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday, August 4.