Sydney Test: Indian management asks players to abide by protocols, stay in hotel premises except for training

January 4, 2021

Given the threat of the coronavirus, governments across the globe have issued strict guidelines for its citizens. While all sporting activities were either cancelled or postponed for a period of 3-4 months in 2020, the bio-bubble environment is seen as the way going forward.

Indian team asked to abide by rules

In the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy, five Indian players were said to have breached the protocols after a video of them visiting a restaurant went viral on social media.
The issue was discussed at length and soon after all members of the Indian cricket team tested negative for COVID-19, the Indian team management asked the players to abide by the protocols issued by the officials ahead of the third Test to be played in Sydney.
As reported by Cricbuzz, the Indian players have been asked to stay inside the hotel premises except for training. The development comes soon after a cricket fan, in a series of tweets, shared how he paid the bill for 5 Indian cricketers, who had gone to a restaurant to have a meal.
After the recent restaurant fiasco, all members of both Indian as well as Australian team were tested for COVID-19. While both the teams on Monday left for Sydney – the venue for the third test, the results found none of the members to be positive.
Earlier, the Indian cricket team expressed its unhappiness over Cricket Australia’s different rules for fans and cricketers in the country.

“We think it’s contradictory if you are going to allow fans to come to the ground and enjoy that freedom, and then ask us as performers to go back to the hotel and quarantine. That is especially after we’ve been tested negative for the virus. We don’t want to be treated like we are animals in the zoo,” a source told Cricbuzz.

The source went on to add that the Indian team management wants to follow the rules which are applicable to Australian citizens as well.
“It goes back to what we’ve said from the beginning. We want to follow the same rules as every Australian citizen in the country. So, if crowds weren’t allowed inside the ground, then it makes sense for them to ask us to quarantine inside the hotel,” he added.
In context of the series, both teams would want to field their best playing XI for the 3rd Test after winning one match apiece. While it was Australia who won the opening Test by 8 wickets after skittling the visitors out for their lowest Test total in the second innings,
Ajinkya Rahane showed nerves of steel as India registered a series-levelling win for India. Riding on a magnificent century scored by the stand-in captain, the visitors defeated Australia in the 2nd Test by eight wickets.