'The rooms are way too small' - Hard quarantine taking a toll on Indian women's team in Brisbane

The Indian women’s national cricket team has arrived in Australia for their all-format tour. The team is currently serving their mandatory hard quarantine in Brisbane. Just four days into the quarantine, it seems that the adjustments made don’t seem to sit right with what the team would have expected. 

It is worth noting that the Indian men’s team had faced their share of issues during their period in the biosecure bubble in Brisbane earlier this year. The women’s team has reportedly been given small hotel rooms for quarantining, where training seems to be an issue. The team has been given accommodation at a government institutional quarantine facility.

In a report released by the Times of India, a BCCI official was quoted speaking about the issue. “The rooms are way too small. You barely manage to move around and do some training. There are no guards manning the place like the players witnessed in the UK but it is very strict. The food served though is okay and there is a change in the menu every day. It will be a challenging two weeks,” the official said.

The series will be entirely played in Queensland with restrictions across Australia

Before their tour of Australia, the Indian team had traveled to England for a long tour. However, the quarantine period wasn’t too difficult to manage at that time. The team arrived in Brisbane on Monday due to a change in the schedule. The tour was initially scheduled to be played across the country. 

However, due to some COVID-19 related restrictions in Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne, there was a change in the schedule. Now, the entire tour has been shifted to Queensland. The tour comprises three ODIs, three T20Is, and the first day-night Test for the Indian women’s team. The starting date has been pushed by two days and now will start on September 21. 

Being stuck in hotel rooms can be difficult and many players have complained about the mental fatigue which comes with such an environment. With COVID-19 cases rising, Australia is one of the countries that have enforced harsh quarantine periods for people travelling into the country from abroad.