Sourav Ganguly has termed it disappointing as Indian cricket team is slated to undergo a full two-week quarantine after arriving in Australia for their full tour and will not be given a shortened quarantine period.
India was slated to play their first Test on December 3 in Brisbane. Still, as per the revised planned schedule, India will begin their defence of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide from December 17.
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Sourav Ganguly: Very Depressing And Disappointing For 2 Week Quarantine
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had asked Cricket Australia for the quarantine period to be reduced but according to a report in WA Today said that the only concessions that would be around is permitting them to train.
“We don’t want the players to go all that far and sit in hotel rooms for two weeks. It is very, very depressing and disappointing,” Ganguly had told TV news channel India Today in July.
It is to be noted here that the New Zealand women’s cricket team recently completed a 14-day quarantine in Queensland where they were allowed to train before their games against Australia.
“Queensland Health is currently assessing an application received from the Indian cricket team. We will work directly with the team as the assessment progresses,” a QH spokeswoman said.
The report further added that while there was no timeline for the confirmation of the team’s requests, but there remains confidence that the clearance is only a few days away at this point. Sourav Ganguly is disappointed at this development.
Health Officials Are Insistent On 2 Week Quarantine Due To Surge In Cases In India
Most of the Indian players are participating in IPL 2020 in UAE except test specialists like Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari.
One of the reasons for which health officials are insistent on a two-week quarantine despite the Indian players flying straight from a bio-secure bubble in the UAE where the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is currently going on is that India’s rise in cases remains a cause of concern.
Indeed, the main reason for which the tournament was shifted to the UAE was due to the spread of the disease not slowing down in India.
The schedule of India’s proposed tour Down Under comprising of possibly four Tests and three ODIs, is, however, yet to ratified by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia.
To add to the dismay, Seven West Media which is the board’s broadcast partner took Cricket Australia to arbitration and demanded a cut in annual fees since being reportedly dissatisfied with the planned schedule of the India tour.