<p>India's cricket board chief Sourav Ganguly said their players refused to play the fifth and final test against England due to Covid-19 concerns and denied that the upcoming Indian Premier League had played any part in the decision.</p>.<p>The Old Trafford test was cancelled last Friday barely two hours before its scheduled start as the tourists, who were leading the series 2-1, failed to field a side after their physiotherapist tested positive for Covid-19.</p>.<p>"The players refused to play but you can't blame them," Ganguly told Indian newspaper The Telegraph on Monday.</p>.<p>"Physio Yogesh Parmar was such a close contact of the players ... he mixed freely with the players and even performed their Covid-19 tests.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/shastri-and-coaching-staff-may-leave-uk-on-wednesday-if-rt-pcr-results-return-negative-1029706.html" target="_blank">Read | Shastri and coaching staff may leave UK on Wednesday if RT-PCR results return negative</a></strong></p>.<p>"He also used to give them a massage, he was part of their everyday lives.</p>.<p>"The players were devastated when they came to know that he had tested positive for Covid-19. They feared they must have contracted the disease and were dead scared."</p>.<p>Former England captain Michael Vaughan has suggested that India's players were "petrified" of testing positive ahead of the IPL, which resumes on Sept. 19 in the United Arab Emirates.</p>.<p>But England and Wales Cricket Board CEO Tom Harrison has said the cancellation had nothing to do with the IPL and Ganguly echoed those comments.</p>.<p>"The BCCI will never be an irresponsible board. We value other boards too," he said, adding that the match is likely to be held as a one-off match next year. </p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos</strong></p>
<p>India's cricket board chief Sourav Ganguly said their players refused to play the fifth and final test against England due to Covid-19 concerns and denied that the upcoming Indian Premier League had played any part in the decision.</p>.<p>The Old Trafford test was cancelled last Friday barely two hours before its scheduled start as the tourists, who were leading the series 2-1, failed to field a side after their physiotherapist tested positive for Covid-19.</p>.<p>"The players refused to play but you can't blame them," Ganguly told Indian newspaper The Telegraph on Monday.</p>.<p>"Physio Yogesh Parmar was such a close contact of the players ... he mixed freely with the players and even performed their Covid-19 tests.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/shastri-and-coaching-staff-may-leave-uk-on-wednesday-if-rt-pcr-results-return-negative-1029706.html" target="_blank">Read | Shastri and coaching staff may leave UK on Wednesday if RT-PCR results return negative</a></strong></p>.<p>"He also used to give them a massage, he was part of their everyday lives.</p>.<p>"The players were devastated when they came to know that he had tested positive for Covid-19. They feared they must have contracted the disease and were dead scared."</p>.<p>Former England captain Michael Vaughan has suggested that India's players were "petrified" of testing positive ahead of the IPL, which resumes on Sept. 19 in the United Arab Emirates.</p>.<p>But England and Wales Cricket Board CEO Tom Harrison has said the cancellation had nothing to do with the IPL and Ganguly echoed those comments.</p>.<p>"The BCCI will never be an irresponsible board. We value other boards too," he said, adding that the match is likely to be held as a one-off match next year. </p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos</strong></p>