Team India To Kickstart Its Two-Week-Long Hard Quarantine In Mumbai From May 19; Further Isolation Awaits In England

Ahead of its 3.5-month-long tour of the United Kingdom, the No.1 ranked Test team in the world, Team India will kickstart its two-week-long hard quarantine in Mumbai from Wednesday, May 19.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has hired chartered planes to pick up players and coaching staff from different parts of the country and bring them to Mumbai where they will isolate in a newly-created bio-secure bubble in a hotel.

While the non-Mumbai residing players will start joining the bubble from May 19, the BCCI has given a one-week exemption to the players and coaching staff who are currently in Mumbai.

That means, skipper Virat Kohli, opener Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and head coach Ravi Shastri and will start joining the bubble from May 24 onwards.

However, the BCCI has instructed all the players residing in Mumbai to serve a strict home quarantine.

Along with the men’s team, the women’s team which is scheduled to lock horns with England in a one-off-Test followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is will also serve isolation in the same hotel.

Both the contingents will board a chartered flight to the UK together on June 2.

But before both contingents board the flight to the UK, they will have to ensure that they return three negative RT-PCR tests. Further tests will be done during their stay in the hotel in Mumbai.

Team India to undergo another quarantine after it lands in England

After landing in England, Team India head straight to Southampton- the venue for the ICC World Test Championship final-where they will undergo another 10-day quarantine (training will be allowed) at a hotel built inside the premises of the stadium. The BCCI is also awaiting travel exemptions for players’ families from the UK government.

Meanwhile, unlike other non-Mumbai residing players, wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who recently recovered from Covid- will join the bubble after one week.

Wriddhiman Saha, who was one of the many players who tested positive to Covid during the IPL, has been in quarantine in Delhi for the last two weeks and so the BCCI have granted him permission to visit his family in Kolkata.

Team India will kickstart their English summer with the all-important ICC WTC final against New Zealand on June 18 before they lock horns with the hosts in a grueling five-match Test series in August.

Also Read: India Tour Of England 2021: BCCI Awaiting Travel Exemption For Players’ Families From The UK Government