In the wake of the steadily escalating situation as far as the participation of the injured duo of Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma, the Board of Control for Cricket in India will be holding a meeting with its counterpart, Cricket Australia, to negotiate the 14-day quarantine rule which is mandatory for any visitor traveling Down Under.
And, according to a report in the ANI, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly will be at the forefront of leading the negotiatons.
The Indian contingent was allowed to train during their 14-day isolation period because of the fact that they had moved from one bio-bubble in the UAE to the other in Sydney. While Ishant Sharma is ready to board his flight to Australia, according to sources, Rohit Sharma will not be ready to travel Down Under till the second week of December.
“The BCCI president will be speaking to his counterpart at Cricket Australia and a decision will be reached after their meeting. The current quarantine guidelines might make it impossible for the two to reach Australia and be a part of the Test series as under existing rules, they will need to completely isolate themselves and cannot train in the quarantine period.The rest of the Indian cricketers were allowed to train during the quarantine period because they moved from one bubble – in Dubai – to the other – in Sydney. So, a relaxation will be needed if the two are to be a part of the Test series,” the sources said as quoted by ANI.
If Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma are ruled out of a major part of the Test series, it will be a huge body-blow for the Men in Blue, who are already set to miss the services of their captain Virat Kohli post the first Test in Adelaide, South Australia.