Even as five Team India players in Australia remain in isolation for breaching COVID-19 protocol, putting in doubt their participation in the third Test of the series, Australian media has reported alleged violations of COVID protocol by skipper Virat Kohli and all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Photos from Kohli and Pandya’s visit to a baby shop in Sydney were reported on by the Sunday Morning Herald, with photos shared by the shop showing the cricket stars at the shop without masks. Kohli was reportedly buying goodies for his first child with wife Anushka Sharma, who is due this month.
According to SMH, officials have confirmed his visit to the shop was in violation of the bio-bubble restrictions as they should have been wearing masks. However, as this was deemed a minor instance, the matter was not reported.
It will be up to the BCCI to decide any punishment or sanctions for the breaches in protocol, SMH said. However, a senior official of the BCCI told PTI that the team was “well aware” of the COVID protocols and that they had not violated any of them.
“No, there has been no breach in bio-security protocols. Everyone associated with the Indian team is well aware of the protocols,” the official said on conditions of anonymity.
The visit, which reportedly took place on December 7, was a week before five other Team India players visited a restaurant late at night in Adelaide, without wearing a mask when doing so. Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Navdeep Saini and Prithvi Shaw were also deemed in violation of COVID guidelines.
In addition, the players are reportedly unhappy with having to enter quarantine on arriving in Brisbane for their next game.
"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.
"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," the person added.
Officials have said they would allow the players to mingle with each other within the hotel, as they had already come into contact with one another during their matches. However, they would not be allowed to leave their rooms and go out in to the general community, Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young was reported as saying by Fox Sports.
SMH also quoted the Health Shadow Minister Ros Bates as saying, “If the Indians don’t want to play by the rules, don’t come.”
Today I was asked about reports the Indian Cricket Team wants quarantine restrictions eased just for them, ahead of the upcoming Gabba Test. My response 👇 #Cricket #IndiavsAustralia @ICC @CricketAus pic.twitter.com/MV7W0rIntM
— Ros Bates MP (@Ros_Bates_MP) January 3, 2021
Earlier, Queensland’s Health Minister Steven Miles had said it was “quite likely” a member of the team could test positive and that they would have to be preparations for this possibility.
"These are folk travelling from countries with current outbreaks with large numbers of cases and so the risks are much greater,” Miles said. “The likelihood that one of them will test positive is much greater and so they don't just need to work through how quarantine works for them, but also what might happen in the case of a positive case, given that that's quite likely in fact,” he was quoted as saying by ABC.
The Test series is tied currently 1-1 with two more matches to go.
