Shardul Thakur reacts as Team India draw criticism for cancelled Manchester Test vs England

The India-England Tests proved to a high-voltage affair and the five-match series was set for a terrific finale, at Old Trafford, Manchester, when the tour got cancelled in the wake of Covid-19 crisis in the Indian camp. With the majority of India's support staff testing positive for Covid-19, India couldn't field an XI for the fifth and final Test and had to back out at the last moment.

Despite being 2-1 up in the series, Kohli & Co. were heavily criticised for their decision to cancel the tour ahead of the final Test, with many saying that the players didn't want to jeopardise IPL 14's UAE leg. Since then, not many cricketers have opened up on what happened in Manchester and the circumstances which led to the visitors cancelling the tour.

Shardul Thakur has now finally broken his silence and told in an interview with Indian Express, "I heard someone whispering about it and the general feeling was what will happen next. As the match was on, everyone was focused on the game. It was the first time we were without our main support staff."

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"They used to call us at the end of the day. I spoke to Bharat Arun Sir, he spoke about what kind of line and length I can bowl. If they had any points they used to tell us after the game," he further explained.

"We were worried about what will happen, who will be infected since Parmar had treated everyone. We didn’t know how things would go ahead because tracking this infection is next to impossible. The next four-five days were vulnerable for us because there was fear that it could happen to me or it could happen to anyone. Everyone was worried about their and their family’s health," the pacer added.

ALSO READ |'Anything can happen at any time': Virat Kohli opens up about fifth Test being cancelled

For the unversed, India's head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar had contracted the virus, after which physios Nitin Patel and Yogesh Parmar also tested positive; prompting Team India to back out before the final Test despite them having a chance to win their first-ever Tests on English soil after 2007.

As of now, ICC is yet to decide on the fate of the final Test at Manchester. It might be played next year during India's white-ball tour of England, as a continuation of the 2021 series or a one-off Test. The final decision remains awaited.