News that five Indian players – Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini – were put into isolation due to an investigation into a possible biosecurity protocol violation set Twitter on fire.
Cricket Australia confirmed on Saturday that they and BCCI launched a joint investigation and separated Rohit, Pant, Shaw, Gill and Saini from the rest of the Indian and Australian squads in Melbourne.
This was after a fan posted a video of the players eating at an indoor restaurant on Twitter on Friday. He claimed to have been sitting near them and also talked about getting a hug from Pant after paying for the players’ food. He later retracted the claim about the hug after it raised serious questions about a protocol violation.
There were mixed reactions on Twitter about the investigation initiated by CA.
This is how Twitter reacted to the isolation of the five Indian players until the investigation
“The Cricket Control Board in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia (CA) received an alert today about a video post on social media purporting to show Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini eating at an indoor venue in Melbourne on New Years Day, ”CA said in a statement.
India and Australia are participating in a series of four tests at the moment and the third match will start on January 7 in Sydney.
According to protocol, players can eat outdoors, following the rules of social distancing.
“The BCCI and CA are investigating the matter and seeking to determine if the departure constitutes a violation of biosafety protocols.” The isolation protocols were implemented after consultation with the medical teams.
The BCCI, meanwhile, has decided to back the Indian players because they believe that there was no deliberate attempt by the players to violate the biosafety protocol.
Players will be allowed to train according to the protocols that have been implemented. It is understood that according to the biosecurity protocols provided by Cricket Australia, players were told not to eat in covered restaurants. They are not supposed to use public transport, but they are allowed to wander around the cities where they are playing.
The third test of India vs Australia will begin on January 7 and the two teams will arrive in Sydney a couple of days before the scheduled start.
(With PTI inputs)
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