The five Indian players namely Rohit Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw who have been asked to stay in isolation will be traveling with the rest of the squad to Sydney in a chartered flight on Monday, reported news agency PTI. The team, currently in Melbourne, will travel to Sydney together for the third Test of the four-match series slated to begin from Thursday. The above mentioned five players were asked to isolate themselves after having reportedly breached the bio bubble as they had lunch at a Melbourne hotel.
The reports were later clarified by the BCCI who said that the players did not go against the quarantine protocols laid by Cricket Australia. The two boards further agreed on an investigation of the same.
Also Read: 5 Indian Players In Isolation After Potential Bio Bubble Breach In Melbourne
Isolated Indian Players to Travel With The Team to Sydney
The agency further reported that they have not been barred from travelling with the team despite an ongoing investigation.
“If you carefully read the CA statement, they never said that it’s a breach. They said that they are seeking to determine if it’s a breach. So there is no restriction on these five players travelling with the team to Sydney. The entire team is flying tomorrow afternoon,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The BCCI official further said that had the fan who paid the bill not lied about Rishabh Pant hugging him, this confusion would not have happened. The Indian players went into the hotel as it was drizzling, he further said.
“This guy, without permission, shot a video and then paid the bill which no one asked him to and after that for publicity put a screen grab of bill,” the official said.
Meanwhile, a guy named Girish Dongre is hed responsible for the Indian players possibly breaching a bio bubble. Dongre is employed with the BCCI as an administrative manager and it is his responsibility to keep the players updated about the protocols.
Also Read: Indian Fan Who Paid Indian Cricketers Food Bill Apologizes For The Incident
“The players are not supposed to carry the protocol sheets or remember every fine line written,” another BCCI official said. There is a professional team of people who have to ensure that every rule is being followed and it was Dongre’s duty to ensure that players are told that they can’t get into an indoor area,” he added.
Meanwhile, the fan named Naveldeep Singh has tweeted an apology after the news of the Indian players breaching a bio-bubble became public.
Mujhe log galiya de rae h.. dekho gaaliyo ka farak nai padta mujhe hum punjabi h 400-500 gaaliyan dosto ke saath bethe to apas main de dete h.. but i am really sad that i am against my country people at the moment. I am really sorry people and i just hope ke sab thik ho jaaye 😭
— Navaldeep Singh (@NavalGeekSingh) January 2, 2021