As per reports in Cricbuzz, Team India is not willing to travel to Brisbane for the fourth and final Test against Australia as there are possibilities of the team getting a further quarantine period upon reaching home after the Test series. The BCCI previously clarified that they would not entail any more quarantine period after the mandatory quarantine they completed upon reaching Australia. This is the reason why they are not willing to travel to Queensland which might put them in another mandatory quarantine period once the series is complete and they reach home.
A BCCI official spoke to Cricbuzz saying that they are against getting into another mandatory quarantine period after completing one hard bubble for nearly a month.
“If you look at it, we were quarantining for 14 days in Dubai before landing in Sydney and doing so for another 14 days. That means we were in a hard bubble for nearly a month before coming out. What we don’t want now is to quarantine again at the end of the tour,” a source in the Indian team told Cricbuzz.
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He further said that they have followed all the protocols stated y Cricket Australia on mandatory quarantine and now they do not want to be ‘shunted down’ and would prefer playing the last two Test matches at the same venue.
Team India Not Keen To Travel To Brisbane
“We aren’t keen on going to Brisbane if it means being stuck in the hotel again, except for going to the ground. Instead we don’t mind being in some other city, playing both Test matches there to complete the series and returning home,” he added.
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Meanwhile, the Indian team is slated to travel to Sydney on January 4. They will be training for two days before playing the third Test which starts from January 7. Then they have managed exemptions to travel to Queensland with a few broadcast staff despite the state having shut its borders to New South Wales, which still hasn’t recovered from the northern beaches Covid-19 outbreak from four weeks back.
The BCCI official concluded by saying that they are against sending their players into another hard quarantine after they are already in a quarantined protocol for the past six months including the IPL in between.
“All we’re saying is the boys have been in various states of lockdowns and bubbles for nearly six months now. And it’s not been easy for anyone. If you look at it, we are one of only two teams who have had zero issues while being on a tour during this pandemic. After all this time, what we don’t want is to be sent into another hard bubble, which seems will be the case in Brisbane,” the source concluded saying.
