Fuming India slam Brisbane ‘prison’ hotel

The BCCI has stepped in to resolve issues around India’s current accommodation in Brisbane which was described as a ‘‘prison for all practical purposes’’ by an unnamed team member.

The tourists already expressed doubt about playing Brisbane because of the stricter protocols and the emergence of the highly-contagious UK strain of the coronavirus discovered in the state, yet conditions at their hotel ahead of the Gabba test pushed them over the edge.

Team officials weren’t happy about not having room service or house keeping with an unnamed member of the tourists’ travelling party labelling the hotel as a ‘‘prison for all practical purposes’’ in an interview with The Times of India.

The hotel swimming pool, gym and cafes were all off-limits to the players when they arrived, according to the source.

‘‘We are locked up in our rooms, have to make our own beds, clean our own toilets. Food is coming from a nearby Indian restaurant which will be given to us on our floor. We can’t move out of the floor that’s been designated to us,’’ the source said.

But after the BCCI took up the issue with Cricket Australia, conditions have changed.

‘‘The board has been told that the team has been given access to all the lifts in the hotel. They can use a gym too. It has been assured that there will be room service and house keeping. The team has also been given a team room where they can assemble and have meetings. Only the swimming pool is not open for use,’’ a senior BCCI official told The Times of India.