AUSTRALIA TOUR OF INDIA, 2020-21
India has stood firm in its stance of wanting to be treated as “normal Australians” and has said it is prepared to follow “government protocols”. © AFP
The Indian cricket team has said they are not prepared to be treated like “animals in a zoo” where they must undergo a hotel quarantine while 20,000 fans watch them play at SCG. The entire Indian contingent underwent a Covid-19 test on Sunday (January 3) and are awaiting the results as they fly from Melbourne to Sydney on Monday (January 4). And a team member has reported Cricbuzz that if they all test negative, they see no reason why the Indians should be quarantined for the rest of the tour. The visitors have maintained their stance of wanting to be treated like “normal Australians” and have said they are prepared to follow the “government protocols” that everyone else in the respective state has to adhere to.
“We think it’s counterintuitive if you’re going to allow the fans to come down on the ground and enjoy that freedom, and then ask us as artists to go back to the hotel and self-quarantine. That’s especially after we were tested negative for the viruses … We don’t want to be treated like animals in the zoo, “said the source. Cricbuzz.
“It goes back to what we said from the beginning. We want to follow the same rules as all Australian citizens in the country. So if crowds were not allowed in, then it makes sense to quarantine ourselves inside the hotel.” he added.
The team source also revealed that the latest information they received from Cricket Australia’s medical team regarding Brisbane came last week, where they were informed that they were “unable to leave their respective floors.” And that the Indians had immediately refused to accept these conditions.
“His medical team told us that we would not be allowed to leave our respective floors at the hotel. The team’s top management immediately said that these conditions were not acceptable to us. That is the last we hear on the matter,” he added. the source said.
There were reports in Australia on Sunday where Queensland health director Dr Jeannette Young was quoted as saying that teams might not have to be confined to their hotel rooms in Brisbane and instead have “bubbles within the hotel “where they could be found.
“We are not in favor of quarantine in the hotel and being asked to stay locked up, especially at this stage of the tour. We will follow all protocols established by the government whether that means wearing masks when eating out or avoiding completely ‘red zones’ and ‘hot spots,’ “the source said.
Cricbuzz had reported two days earlier about India’s reluctance to travel to Brisbane for the fourth test if they were forced to remain locked up, where their movements would be restricted from the team hotel to the stadium and vice versa. Instead, they had asked that the two remaining test matches be played in the same city and not “bypassed.”
The source also gave the team’s version of events related to the five players who allegedly burst the bubble in Melbourne by dining indoors on January 1.
“The players only went inside to eat because it started to rain. We don’t understand why those five players should be isolated or asked to feel separated on the flight, especially after they tested negative for the virus,” he said the fountain .
He then reiterated the challenges that come with spending long periods within a bubble or quarantined as Indian players have done in recent months, and also the sacrifices they have made while in Australia.
“Our players have made a lot of sacrifices on this tour, like Mohammad Siraj was unable to return to attend his father’s funeral. Some of our guys have been in a bubble for almost six months and it hasn’t been easy for anyone.” . .
© Cricbuzz
