A senior official with India’s cricket board told PTI that the visiting contingent “knows very well” the Covid-19 protocols and has not violated any of them.
“No, there have not been any violations in the biosafety protocols. All those associated with the Indian team are well aware of the protocols,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
It all started after a fan, identified as Navaldeep Singh, tweeted photos and videos of cricketers Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Navdeep Saini and Shubman Gill having dinner at a restaurant.
The fan, who claimed he was sitting near the players at the restaurant, later apologized for creating confusion by claiming that Pant had hugged him after paying for the players’ food.
According to protocols, players can eat out as long as they take the necessary precautions.
“We can only classify it as a malicious twist by a section of the Australian media and this has started after their humiliating defeat.”
India crushed Australia by eight wickets in the second test in Melbourne, making an incredible comeback days after the debacle in the opener of the four-game series in Adelaide.
The ‘Sydney Morning Herald’, in a report that was not supported by statements from BCCI, Cricket Australia or the Indian team management, reported that the visit to the restaurant was a violation of the biobubble protocol.
“The Australian media sometimes acts as an extension of their cricket team,” the BCCI official said.
Biosecurity bubbles have been put in place to ensure that gamers are not affected by the pandemic that has gripped the world for months, with parts of Australia reporting new outbreaks of late.
This had also put the future of the third test in Sydney in doubt before CA clarified that it would not be moving to Melbourne.
The match will start on January 7 and the two teams will arrive in Sydney a couple of days before the scheduled start.
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