Indian team openers Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav will fly to England on Saturday from Colombo on the special provision. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is a red-listed country under the UK government's travel advisory but their entry is being facilitated by a specially-created rule for sportspersons.
Normally only travelers from Green List countries allowed into the UK. Travelers from Red List countries may only allow in if they are UK and Irish citizens. Suryakumar and Shaw will still enter the UK, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have used a special provision that allows elite sportspersons in the UK this summer.
It is the same rule that allowed footballers and tennis players to enter the country for Euro football and Wimbledon earlier this summer. A top ECB official said, "The UK Government created Elite player exemption earlier this summer to help the Indian touring party travel in the first place. The same rule used for other sports like football and tennis for the Euros and Wimbledon."
Despite special permission, Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav will still have to be in quarantine for 10 days in England. The isolation period effectively excludes them from the first two Tests. The second Test begins at Lord's on August 12, by the time both players should have finished their quarantine period, but they will have to do some red-ball practice to make it to the Test against England.
The Indian team, captained by Virat Kohli, is currently in England, where it will leave for Nottingham on Saturday. As the first match of the five-match Test series begins in Nottingham on August 4. The Indian team's last net session was to be held in Durham on Friday. But it had to be canceled due to bad weather.
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