England vs India: BCCI reconsidering bio-bubble break for players as COVID spikes in the UK

After a bitter eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final on June 23, India will square off against England in five-match Test series starting August 4. But before the high-octane series kicks off, India were dealt with a major jolt as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials are currently assessing the situation of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom due to a recent spike in cases.

This is certainly not good news as the Indian players and the broadcast crews have been moving freely. But with the situation not being improved, the BCCI may soon take a call on imposing few restrictions. The final decision is yet to be made and if the BCCI feels that there is no need of stricter action, then it will allow the players a little breathing space.

“We are monitoring the situation and if the condition worsens, we will take a call accordingly, We haven’t taken a final call on it yet.” Arun Dhumal, BCCI’s treasurer told InsideSport.

Interestingly, the BCCI made arrangements for all its players by providing them the first dose of vaccine. The board also plans to provide the second dose in England before the five-match Test series. The BCCI also allowed both its men and women players to travel with families as the UK government had eased up the lockdown restrictions.

Indian players get a 42-day break before the England Test series

With the WTC Final finishing on June 23, the Indian players will get a sufficient amount of time to prepare for the five-match series against England. Most of the players such as Ravi Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane have travelled with their families. These players and the rest of the squad were hoping to go on a small getaway before the cricketing action takes center stage.

Meanwhile, the number of cases in the UK are steadily rising, with the figures touching 10000 in a week. With continuous monitoring of the situation from England government and BCCI, the verdict on imposing a few restrictions will soon be taken into consideration.