India to leave for WTC final after serving an eight-day quarantine period from May 25

On Friday, May 7, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 20-member India squad that will travel to England for the final of the World Test Championship followed by a five-match Test series against England. The WTC final will be played between New Zealand and India from June 18 to June 22 at the Ageas Bowl while the five-match Test series will commence from August 4 at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

It is now speculated that the Indian players traveling to England can assemble on May 25 at a bio bubble made by BCCI in India. BCCI is planning to keep players in a strict biosecure bubble for eight days and then airlift them to England. The players will be required to go under another 10-day isolation in England but they will be allowed to train considering that BCCI will move the players from a bio bubble in India to that of England.

“You can expect the boys to come into the bubble on May 25, as it will be an 8-day quarantine period which will not involve just testing against COVID-19, but also there will not be any movement as the boys prepare for the UK schedule. Once in the UK on June 2, the boys will go for another 10-day quarantine. 

“But this time the cricketers can train, as they’ll be moving in a charter plane from a bubble in India to a bubble in England. A bubble-to-bubble move lets them train even though there will be continuous testing at all times and no further movement,” the official explained as quoted by Sportskeeda.

Indian players to travel with their families to England

After participating in the WTC final, the Indian players will have to stay in the biosecure bubble in England only as they have to face team England for a five-match Test series in August. A month-long gap between the two events has resulted in the officials giving permission to the players to bring their families along as team India will reside in England from June to September.

“Not just the duration of the tour, the COVID-19 restrictions also mean you cannot move around the place. There will be more than a month’s gap between the Test Championship Final and the opening Test against England at Trent Bridge from August 4. The players will have their families traveling with them,” the BCCI official confirmed.