Team India To Undergo Hard Quarantine In England Ahead Of The WTC Final; Have To Send A Second-String Squad To Asia Cup

In the latest news, it has been learned that Team India will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine period in England ahead of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. After India defeated Joe Root’s team in Ahmedabad and clinched the series 3-1, Virat Kohli and co. have booked themselves a place in the WTC final which is scheduled from June 18th in England.

However, they won’t have much time to prepare for the marquee clash against Kane Williamson’s eleven as the 14 edition of the Indian Premier League will conclude on 30th May and they have to do a strict two-week quarantine.

According to a report in the Times of India, the quarantine rules in England are similar to that of Australia during the tour last year – the players will have to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine period where they will be in sole isolation for the first 5-6 days before being allowed to train.

“It’ll mostly be on the lines of the Australia tour where the initial three or five days will be in strict isolation, after which teams will be allowed to train while in quarantine,” a source in the know of developments told TOI.

India to send a second-string side to Asia Cup

A little more than a month after the final of the WTC, India will take on England in a 5-match Test series. Hence, it is unlikely that the players will return back to play the Asia Cup, and instead, they will stay back in England to prepare for the Test series.

The Asia Cup is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka after the WTC final and India, who are the defending champions having won it in 2016, will not be able to field their best eleven. Several players who are part of the Test side and the T20 side will miss the multi-nation tournament.

From skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant to Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja will be not be seen in the Asia Cup this time. At the same time, this will provide several youngsters with opportunity and exposure at a higher level.

“BCCI has taken the call not to ask the players to return to India after the WTC final. The idea is to stay there and acclimatise to the conditions before the Tests begin. There’s no other choice. We can’t risk the preparation for the series in England. And cricketers can’t twice undergo quarantine. If the Asia Cup happens, India will have no option but to send a second-string squad,” the sources said.

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