BCCI's request for shorter quarantine in Oz may be rejected

SYDNEY: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s request for a shorter than mandated quarantine period for the India team in Brisbane, ahead of its tour of Australia, is likely to be rejected, said a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the rules of the game, which restarted with the Test series between England and the West Indies in July. Players have to be in quarantine for two weeks and be tested for the virus before they can take the field.

“Queensland health officials are set to make cricket’s most powerful nation adhere to strict national protocols, details of which have delayed Cricket Australia (CA) announcing a revised schedule for its USD 300 million summers,” the daily wrote in its report.

India is keen on a reduced quarantine and wants its players to be allowed to train in a bio-secure bubble instead of being restricted to a hotel room. “We just hope that the number of quarantine days gets reduced a bit. Because we don’t want the players to go all that far and sit in hotel rooms for two weeks,” Ganguly had said in July.

The report added that the BCCI has filed an application, requesting that an extended playing squad, coaches, support staff, and families land in Brisbane days after the final of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). Right now, it is under consideration.

“Queensland Health (QH) is currently assessing an application received from the Indian cricket team. We will work directly with the team as the assessment progresses,” said a QH spokeswoman. India is set to travel to Australia with a jumbo squad comprising 23 to 25 playing members across formats, considering the requirements of the series to be played in a bio-bubble amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari and the support staff, led by head coach Ravi Shastri, are likely to have a six-day quarantine in Dubai during the business end of IPL before flying off to Australia.