Indian Team Will Need To Train In Smaller Bubbles In Australia Later This Year

Virat Kohli’s Indian side will head to Australia for the much-anticipated four-Test series down under later this year. The Test series will form a part of the ICC World Test Championship is set to be a marquee one. The series will likely begin in South Australia due to the quarantine rules while the players will need to train in small bubbles.

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The situation does not stand in line with the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, who called for softer quarantine rules for the tourists. However, owing to the local restrictions in Western Australia, where the authorities clarified that both the sides would have to deal with stringent guidelines. The Indian team would likely isolate themselves at the brand-new Adelaide Hotel, which is almost set and ready to open on the 25th of September.

Michael Cusack, South Australia’s deputy chief public health officer, highlighted that teams would get permission to train in smaller bubbles. Hence, three or four cricketers would be allowed to train during the isolation period and the same consistent ones. Cusack underlined that there remains a risk of one player testing positive if all the whole squad trained together. In that case, a further 14 days of isolation would become mandatory.

“They will be allowed to train in what you might consider smaller bubbles. So, there might be three or four players that would be allowed to train during their quarantine period, and it would be the same consistent players. If you had the whole party training together and one person inadvertently tested positive all of them would become a close contact (and) everyone would need a further 14 days of isolation and quarantine,” Cusack said as quoted by ABC website.

India might play a warm-up game under lights with a pink ball:

The Test series between India and Australia, which begins in December, an extended squad for the same will be announced in October. Before the four-Test rubber, India might also feature in a pink-ball practice match under lights as Adelaide will host a day and night Test.

The Indian team emerged victorious the last time they visited the land down under in a four-Test rubber against an under-strength host team. However, on this occasion, Australia have the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, and Marnus Labuschagne, which will indeed make it difficult for India to win.

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