Sydney, which hosted two ODI and two T20I at the beginning of the tour, now has stricter protocols for players, as there has been an outbreak in COVID-19 cases around the city. “The Indian squad has been given the protocols. The team management has accepted this and all the players and the team have been asked not to leave the hotel except for scheduled training sessions. The team is also asked to follow all the social distancing practices “. “a BCCI source told TOI on Monday. Previously, players were allowed to walk and eat outside.
The entire team, including the five players who were placed in “isolation” for dinner at an indoor restaurant in Melbourne, tested negative for Covid-19 after undergoing RT-PCR tests before traveling to Sydney. The team is likely to undergo another round of testing before the Match test which begins on January 7.
TOI understands that BCCI is in contact with Cricket Australia about the arrangements in Brisbane, where teams are likely to be quarantined for the match. The board’s sources also stated that there has never been any question about Brisbane’s possibility of hosting the final test of the tour. The management of the Indian team has not yet received the protocols for the fourth test. As for the ‘investigation’ to find out if Rohit sharma, Rishabh pants, Navdeep saini, Shubman gill and Prithvi Shaw violated any protocol, board sources stated that it is safe to assume it was terminated after tests came back negative.
However, there is talk of offering some relaxation to the players in Brisbane. “Putting players in hard quarantine in Brisbane is a bit difficult for players. There are conversations where they won’t even be allowed to leave their rooms other than travel to the grounds. As in Sydney, the team should have access to the los hotel floors too, “a senior BCCI official told TOI.
On Monday, CA acting CEO Nick Hockley gave a statement that the Australian board has contacted BCCI and there have been no objections to the protocols established for the tour. “We speak with our counterparts at BCCI on a daily basis. We have not received anything formal from BCCI that suggests anything other than their support,” Hockley said. “Both teams have wanted to play the schedule as we have established it,” he added.
“There is always a controversy when India travels to Australia. These are mind games of the media and the cricket fraternity in Australia. BCCI has never opposed any protocol established by CA. The Brisbane test is well advanced,” added the official. by BCCI.
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