Irfan Pathan has become the fourth player to test positive for Covid-19 from among those who played in the recently concluded Road Safety World Series, a T20 tournament that pitted former players from India, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, South Africa and Sri Lanka against each other.
On Saturday, Sachin Tendulkar announced that he had tested positive for the virus, and his announcement was followed by similar ones from Irfan's half-brother Yusuf Pathan, and S Badrinath.
Irfan said he was showing no symptoms and had isolated himself at home, making the announcement of his positive test on Twitter, like Tendulkar, Yusuf, and Badrinath had.
"I have tested positive for COVID-19 with no symptoms and have isolated myself and quarantined at home. I would request those who came in contact with me in recent past to please get themselves tested," Irfan wrote. "Urging all to wear masks and maintain social distancing. Wishing you all good health."
The tournament took place in the Indian city of Raipur from March 7 to 21.
Irfan was part of the Indian team alongside Tendulkar, Yusuf, and Badrinath, with India ending up triumphant the tournament.
Irfan had announced his retirement from cricket in January 2020, bringing to an end a career that featured 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is, and included a winner's medal in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, alongside several memorable Test and ODI triumphs too. He last played for India in the T20 World Cup in 2012, but continued to be a regular presence in the domestic circuit after that, and was a prominent feature in the IPL till 2016. Over the last three years, Irfan rose to become a sought-after commentator and Hindi cricket analyst in India. He also runs a cricket academy in Vadodara, which he co-founded with Yusuf.
According to Johns Hopkins University, which has tracked the spread of the pandemic since it first hit in 2019, India is third on the list of countries with the most Covid-19 infections and fourth on the list of most deaths.