Reports: Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, India coaching staff to have six-day quarantine in Dubai before Australia tour

Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari and Team India’s coaching staff are most likely to serve a six-day quarantine period in Dubai before heading for the tour of Australia in the month of December. Vihari and Pujara aren’t part of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and haven’t played cricket since the New Zealand tour back in February.

After the conclusion of the IPL, India are set to travel to Australia with a jumbo squad, comprising of 23 to 25 players. The tour will take place in a bio-security bubble with COVID-19 protocols in place. Along with Pujara and Vihari, head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharath Arun, batting coach Vikram Rathour and fielding coach R Sridhar would also be quarantining in Dubai.

Team India squad to come together after IPL ends

“The most feasible plan right now looks like entire team flying together from Dubai in one chartered flight. For that, the two Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, along with our coaching staff of Ravi Shastri, Bharath Arun, Vikram Rathour and R Sridhar will arrive in Dubai, most probably at the end of this month,” a BCCI source, currently in Dubai, was quoted as saying in Deccan Herald.

“In all likelihood, the non-IPL players and the coaching staff along with other support staff, would have to undergo a six-day quarantine with a separate bubble being created for them. They will also undergo tests on Days 1, 3 and 6. Once IPL is over, the squad will come together and fly out Down Under,” he stated.

The source reckons that because the players are already in a bio-secure bubble, the BCCI won’t be having logistical difficulties for the tour of Australia.

“Most of the playing members are in a secured bio environment. So, it’s more feasible that we organise the bio-secure environment for the remaining contingent in Dubai itself for smooth operational purposes,” he added.

The tour is scheduled to get underway on December 3 with the opening Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. However, the itinerary is subject to change keeping in mind the coronavirus situation in the country. The BCCI is also in touch with CA regarding the quarantine and training protocols on the tour.