India have issued a statement addressing the cancellation of their final Test against England at Old Trafford, apologising to supporters and expressing a desire to "reschedule" the match.
The game, which was due to get underway today, was called off after a Covid outbreak within the Indian camp.
During the fourth Test at The Oval, head coach Ravi Shastri tested positive for the virus and immediately went into isolation.
Three members of his backroom team were deemed to be close contacts and also went into isolation, with bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar subsequently returning positive tests.
Then, ahead of the start of the fifth Test, assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar tested positive.
The news prompted India to cancel their training session and press conference on Thursday while the players underwent a fresh round of Covid testing.
They were then confined to their hotel rooms while they awaited the results, with the entire squad testing negative.
However, a number of India players were reportedly still concerned about the prospect of playing the game, particularly given the fact that Parmar had come into close contact with several players given his role as physio.
With the IPL around the corner, there are also concerns that players could miss out on their lucrative deals if they test positive and are forced to isolate.
As a result, the game has been called off and the BCCI are keen to get it rescheduled for a later date.
In a statement, the BBCI's Honorary Secretary Jay Shah said: "The BCCI and ECB held several rounds of discussion to find a way to play the Test Match, however, the outbreak of Covid-19 in the Indian team contingent forced the decision of calling off the Old Trafford Test Match.
"In lieu of the strong relationship between BCCI and ECB, the BCCI has offered to ECB a rescheduling of the cancelled Test match. Both the Boards will work towards finding a window to reschedule this Test match.
"The BCCI has always maintained that the safety and well-being of the players is of paramount importance and there will be no comprise on that aspect.
"The BCCI would like to thank the ECB for their co-operation and understanding in these trying times. We would like to apologise to the fans for not being able to complete an enthralling series."
