Indian national football team captain Sunil Chhetri has tested positive for Covid-19, the player revealed on his Twitter handle on Thursday.
“In a not-so-happy update, I’ve tested positive for Covid-19. In better news, I feel fine as I continue my recovery from the virus and should be back on a football pitch soon. No better time to keep reminding everyone to continue taking all the safety precautions always,” the Indian star wrote.
The positive test casts doubt on Chhetri’s participation in India’s first game back after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, when they face Oman on March 25 in an international friendly.
Chhetri recently completed the Indian Super League season where Bengaluru FC failed to make the semi-finals for the first time since joining the competition in 2017.
The talismanic forward finished the league phase as the top Indian goalscorer for the fourth season running and is favourite to remain there even after the final on Saturday.
Even at the age of 36, he remains the chief goal threat for the Indian football team and coach Igor Stimac will hope to find an additional goal-scoring option in the coming two friendlies before the World Cup qualifiers resume again in June.
Chhetri’s last game for BFC in the ISL was on February 25, where he scored as well. Bengaluru FC were placed seventh on the table at the end of the league stage. The former champions logged 22 points after winning five matches, drawing seven and losing eight games.
Chhetri scored eight times in the 20 ISL games this season.