Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21: Isolated Indian players to travel to Sydney, no word yet on Brisbane Test

India is currently locked 1-1 in the four-Test series against Australia, Down Under, as it defends the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. A few Indian players are under the scanner for possibly breaching the bio-bubble sphere, as they travel to Sydney for the third Test.

Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21: All Indian players to travel to Sydney, no word yet on Brisbane Test-ayh

Team Newsable

New Delhi, First Published Jan 3, 2021, 5:36 PM IST

The Indian players are high on confidence in the ongoing four-Test series against Australia, for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as the series is locked 1-1. Meanwhile, the team travels to Sydney for the third Test, slated to be played from Thursday.

On Saturday, five Indian players were under the scanner for having reportedly breached the bio-bubble sphere in Melbourne. Rohit Sharma, opener Shubman Gill, stumper Rishabh Pant, pacer Navdeep Saini, were spotted by a fan at a Melbourne restaurant, as the video of the same went viral.

Following the incident, the players were isolated from each other by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia (CA), as further investigations are on. Meanwhile, on Monday, all the Indian players, including the isolated ones, are scheduled to travel to Sydney.

"If you carefully read the CA statement, they never said that it's a breach. They said that they are seeking to determine if it's a breach. So there is no restriction on these five players travelling with the team to Sydney. The entire team is flying tomorrow afternoon," a BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI.

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"Had the gentleman (the fan) in question not lied about hugging a player (Rishabh Pant) on social media, this mess wouldn't have happened. The players had gone inside because it was drizzling," continued the official.

"This guy, without permission, shot a video and then paid the bill, which no one asked him to and after that, for publicity, put a screengrab of bill. You want to tell me that Cricket Australia will be taking a decision based on a purported video of a person who first lied and then retracted his statement," the official added.

Meanwhile, the fourth Test, scheduled to be held in Brisbane, is also in a spot of bother. The state of Queensland has closed its borders with the stat following a spike in the COVID cases.

Furthermore, reports also suggest that the players might have to undergo strict quarantine, for about 15 days, upon arrival in the state from Sydney. It has not gone down well with the Indians, who are mulling to boycott the Brisbane Test.

Although there are also reports that Sydney could possibly hold the fourth Test, provided Brisbane is scrapped, there is no official word on the same yet, as it is likely to go ahead, for now. "It's a fluid situation. Let's wait for a few more days," the official rued.

Last Updated Jan 3, 2021, 5:38 PM IST