With only a few days left at the start of the India women's team campaign, a member has reportedly tested positive for COVID 19. The team will play its first game on July 29 against Australia. Notably, the reports also say that the member, who tested positive, was infected before the team took the flight to the UK.
At this point in time, it is unclear whether that person is a player or a support staff member. According to a report by Sports Tiger, this could have great implications for the team. Currently, they are believed to be in isolation and will be important to see if there are any more cases in the team. If the players also tested positive, their first game against Australia might get postponed.
Meanwhile, this is the second time after 1998 that the game has been played in the Commonwealth Games. 24 years ago, the game was played by Men's teams from various countries. South Africa won the Gold Medal beating Australia in the final. Notably, the matches were played in the ODI format. This time, the Women's teams are playing in the tournament in the T20I format.
Teams from Pakistan, Barbados, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and hosts England will be participating in the games apart from India and Australia. These teams are divided into two groups of four each. In Group A, teams such as India, Pakistan, Australia, and Barbados will play each other. On the other hand, Group B will consist of New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.
The top two teams from these groups will advance to the semifinals. The top four clashes will be played on August 6. The winners of these matches will advance to the Gold/Silver Medal match on the day after. Before this game, the losers of the semis will be playing the Bronze Medal match. All these matches will be played at the Edgbaston, where England Men's team hosted India for a Test and a T20I game early this month.