Australian And Indian Cricketers Will Not Show Any Leniency For Quarantine:
The Indian team would end up having to practise in “small groups” during their quarantine time once they arrive in Adelaide on the Australian tour later this year. The possibility of Virat Kohli & Co beginning their test campaign in the South Australian capital has gained ground in the last few days after the Western Australian state government has announced that neither Australian nor Indian cricketers will display any leniency in terms of quarantine regulations.
Although visitors will be able to go through their routines immediately upon arrival in Adelaide, they will have to be split into groups of 3 to 4 players to do so. This is according to Michael Cusack, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of SA.
“They would be able to train in what you would consider smaller bubbles. So, there might be three or four players who will be able to train during their quarantine time, and they will be the same reliable players,” he said on the ABC website.
India is scheduled to appoint its Test Team in October and, based on recent news, the selection committee is expected to pick a 23-25 member squad. The medical officer not only stressed that there were small classes, but also that the same three or four players would have to continue working with each other during their quarantine process. So, maybe we’ll see fast bowlers and top-order batsmen form their own exclusive bubbles for training purposes.
“If you had the entire team working together and one person accidentally tested positive, all of them would be in close contact (and) everyone would need another 14 days of isolation and quarantine,” the officer said.
The SA government’s announcement is not in response to BCCI President Sourav Ganguly ‘s assertion two months ago that he wanted softer quarantine restrictions on his team. Instead, it is consistent with how countries across Australia have responded and are continuing to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. In comparison to WA, which practically shut down the rest of the country with very tight border controls, SA was a little more accommodating. And that’s why India is very likely to play their first of four Adelaide Oval Games, where they won two years ago.
There’s also a chance they’ll stay back here to play the Boxing Day Test. That is, if Melbourne, which reported a slight increase in coronavirus cases on Wednesday (September 9), is still not considered healthy enough to host the annual extravaganza. There have, however, been talks of the MCG carrying off a miracle and holding the Boxing Day Test where the majority of Australians believe it belongs. The Adelaide Oval also made a bid but lost out on winning the rights to host the AFL Grand Final, but they’re still on standby if Queensland sees a increase in cases that are closer to the game. Brisbane is also the only current Adelaide competitor to welcome Kohli ‘s Indian team in November. Most expect the Gabba to be awarded the white-ball leg of the tour, with 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs set to play.
The Indians will quarantine at the brand-new Adelaide Oval Hotel, which is in its final phase of construction and will be formally opened on 25 September. This will allow them access not only to the Oval itself but also to Adelaide Oval 2 next door and the adjacent Parklands to create training bubbles, as was the case with the AFL teams. India’s stay in Adelaide can also involve a warm-up game under lights with a pink ball as a rehearsal for their first day-night overseas test. But this will depend on the overall make-up of the schedule that Cricket Australia is scheduled to announce this week.
