Full Indian squad will travel to Sydney: Details here
The Indian squad will be traveling to Sydney together on January 4 along with the support staff. Notably, the news is contrary to the reports which claimed that the five players, who are under investigation for alleged breach of the bio-bubble, will be kept in isolation in Melbourne. Meanwhile, the Australian and Indian cricket boards continue investigating the alleged breach of bio-security protocols.
It is interesting to note that vice-captain Rohit Sharma, openers Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw, wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and fast bowler Navdeep Saini, haven't been barred from traveling with the squad. Reportedly, the five players were placed in isolation by Cricket Australia (CA) after they were seen visiting a restaurant. Based on a fan's tweet, an investigation was then launched regarding the same.
The statement released by CA didn't mention about any breach, stating that the isolation comes only as a precautionary measure. Reflecting on the same, a senior BCCI official said, "They never said that it's a breach. They said they are seeking to determine if it's a breach." "There's no restriction on these five players traveling to Sydney. The entire team is flying tomorrow."
The entire ruckus emanated with the tweets of a man (Navaldeep Singh), who shared pictures and videos of these cricketers, having a meal at a restaurant. The fan, who claimed that he was seated close to the players, asserted Pant hugged him after he paid for the players' meal. However, he later clarified that he was only enthralled by seeing the Indian cricketers.
"Clarification - Pant never hugged me it was all said in excitement we maintained social distance all thru:) Apologies for miscommunication @BCCI @CricketAus @dailytelegraph," the fan wrote on Twitter, having cleared the confusion.
It has been learned that the controversy has left the entire Indian unit disgruntled. "Had the gentleman (the fan) not lied about hugging a player on social media, this mess wouldn't have happened. The players had gone inside because it was drizzling," he added. "You want to tell me that CA will be taking a decision based on a purported video of a person."
Earlier in the day, it was reported that Brisbane is at risk of losing the fourth Test. Notably, the Indian management is reluctant to travel there, owing to stricter quarantine rules. However, fresh reports have claimed that the Gabba Test is still on. Several travel exceptions will be made for the two teams and broadcast staff, considering the recent border restrictions.
