Brisbane Test in doubt after team India refuses to be in strict quarantine again

The Indian side has made it clear that they would want some freedom in the land of the Kangaroos. The No.3 ranked side in the world has even expressed its unwillingness to travel to Brisbane for the final Test of the four-match series if they have more restrictions imposed on them.

The Indian players have been on the road for quite sometime now. The ‘bubble’ life started for the Indians in September when the 13th IPL edition was played in the UAE. Now, the Indian players have spent more than three and a half months inside a bio bubble, with several restrictions imposed on them.

In a chat with Cricbuzz, a source from the Indian side said that life inside the ‘hard’ bubble for the players has not been easy. He added that the quarantine for the Indian players started in Dubai for the IPL, and it continued in Sydney where the visitors were made to quarantine for another two weeks, The source also made it clear that the visitors don’t want another quarantine as the Australian tour nears its climax.

“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,” he said.

The Indian side has also proposed that they would prefer to play both the remaining Tests in a single city and head back home instead of once again being stuck in quarantine. “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 source added.

We were expected to be treated as normal Australians

The source also informed that the visitors would like to be treated as ‘normal Australians’ having completed their hard quarantine in Sydney after landing in Australia in November last year. Moreover, Indian team has provided their full co-operation with respect to following all the protocols.

“We understand the complexity of what’s happening currently. Cricket Australia and we have cooperated at every step with regards to following the protocols within the bubble. But we were expecting to be treated in the same vein as ‘normal Australians’ in terms of restrictions once we completed that initial quarantine in Sydney.” the source further said

He concluded by making it clear that the Indian team would not like to be into another ‘hard’ bubble at Brisbane and also stated that the Indian side has not raised any issues while being on tour thus far.

“All we’re saying is the boys have been in various states of lockdowns and bubbles for nearly six months now. And it’s not been easy for anyone. If you look at it, we are one of only two teams who have had zero issues while being on a tour during this pandemic. After all this time, what we don’t want is to be sent into another hard bubble, which seems will be the case in Brisbane,” he said.

As things stand, the third Test is slated to be played at Sydney from January 7th, while the fourth and final Test will be played at The Gabba in Brisbane from January 15th.