Rohit, Gill and Pant expected to play third Test despite bubble inquiry, says report

The five Indian players -- Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini -- who are at the centre of an alleged breach of Cricket Australia’s bio-security protocols, are expected to play in the third Test beginning Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) despite an ongoing investigation by the BCCI.

The five players, who were put in isolation after both the Australian and Indian cricket boards launched an investigation into a video showing them sitting indoors in a restaurant in Melbourne on Friday, have been asked to train separately from the rest of the squad and it could be possible that they will travel on Monday separately from the squad.

According to a         Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) report, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is expected to take a “pragmatic approach” should it find the quintet had breached the bio-security protocols. Cricket Australia cannot sanction the said players even if their rules are found to have been broken as the quintet are not their employees, the SMH report further stated.

The Indian side on Sunday boarded two buses to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for a gym session after their practice session was cancelled due to rain.

Gill boarded a team bus to return to the hotel with several other members of the touring party after training but a spokesman for the Indian side said social distancing requirements were met, the report claimed.

According to the publication, Friday’s incident was not the first time that Indian players seemingly breached the bio-secure protocols.

India captain Virat Kohli and limited-overs all-rounder Hardik Pandya were also pictured at a shop in Sydney in early December during the white-ball leg of the tour.

Play by the rules or don’t come: Queensland government tells Team India: With reports emerging about Team India’s reluctance to play the fourth and final Test of the ongoing series against Australia in Brisbane due to harsher bio-security protocols, members of the Queensland government have stated that the visiting team should not enter the state if they are unwilling to coordinate with the protocols that have been laid out.

Reports have emerged that the Indian team isn’t keen on travelling to Brisbane if the players are forced to undergo quarantine.

However, members of the Queensland government have stated that not abiding by the rules is not an option for the visitors. “If the Indians don’t want to play by the rules, don’t come,” Queensland’s Health Shadow Minister Ros Bates was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.

Tim Mander, Queensland’s Shadow Sports Minister, said there’s no room for ignoring the protocols and that every individual would have to go through the same drill.

“If the Indian cricket team wants to spit the dummy and disregard quarantine guidelines in Brisbane for the fourth Test, then they shouldn’t come. The same rules must apply for everyone. Simple,” Mander said.

Willing to slip lower down the order if team wants, says Wade: Australia batsman Matthew Wade, who has opened in the first two Tests against India, has stated that he is willing to bat lower down the order and or even sit out if both the regular openers in the squad — Will Pucovski and David Warner — return to the playing XI.

Both Warner and Pucovski have joined the Australian Test squad and have attended nets with Warner making clear that he would play the third Test even if he isn’t 100 per cent fit.

“I’ll prepare to bat where I have been batting (opening) and if I slide down then I am comfortable batting there,” said Wade while speaking to the media during an interaction on Sunday morning.

“We expect David to play. So it will be me and David or we make a change. Not sure if it will be me and Will,” added Wade.

The left-handed batsman though said he has not been informed about where he will bat in the next Test which begins Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

“No, not as yet,” Wade said. “Obviously, Will has come back into the squad.”

Agencies