BCCI has urged Cricket Australia to allow families to travel with cricketers to Australia after the primary details of India’s tour of Australia was announced. The Indian team players who will be part of the squad which will be announced in a few days will fly directly from the UAE to Sydney after the conclusion of IPL 2020 final on November 10.
Cricket Australia though still isn’t willing to allow families to travel with the players on tour but are being persuaded to do so by the BCCI. Arguably the biggest cricketing series on the international calendar- Australian tour by India is into the final stage of its discussion, with the first ODI match likely to take place on November 27.
BCCI Planning To Invite Cricketers Who Aren’t Playing IPL To UAE
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia (CA) still have a few details to finalize, including the decision whether to allow families to travel with the players or not.
A few details of the tour have come out including schedule in the past couple of weeks. BCCI is planning to invite players who aren’t playing IPL like Hanuma Vihari and Cheteshwar Pujara to UAE beforehand. At the same time, a few training sessions will also be held for those players to prepare them when the series commences.
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On Thursday, it was revealed that the Indian team also got the nod to be in quarantine in Sydney after leaving from Dubai following the IPL 13 final on November 10. The first ODI is expected to take place in Sydney on November 27 while the fourth and final Test is likely to be held on January 15 to 19th January in Brisbane.
BCCI And CA Will Finalize On Decision Whether To Allow Families
BCCI and CA have agreed on the tour schedule. The two boards, however, have different opinions concerning the families to travel with the squad or not. CA has advised families to be barred from travelling with the squad, but the lengthy tour may see their decisions to be overturned as BCCI persuades them to do so.
“CA has advised families of players to be barred from travelling, considering the sensitivity and sanctity of the bio-bubble. But given the prolonged duration of the bubble the players will remain in, it would be in their interest if the families can be with them in Australia, at least for some time. Hopefully, the issue will be sorted out soon,” a BCCI insider told the paper.
In the IPL 2020, BCCI had left the decision of allowing families to accompany the players or not with the franchises. While Anushka Sharma(wife of Virat Kohli) and Ritika Sajdeh (wife of Rohit Sharma) were among those who travelled with their husbands to the UAE, Sakshi Dhoni (wife of MS Dhoni) remained home in Ranchi.
There are fewer doubts that the players would be keen to have the company of family while it remains to be seen what solution the BCCI and CA will come up with on the matter.
It has also been learned that the Indian team has also asked for a psychologist and a motivational trainer in Australia in order to handle better the situations of bio-bubble environment that remain a huge challenge.
Selectors may pick a squad comprising of as many as 32 cricketers for the Australian tour who dates are below:-
1st ODI: November 27 — SCG
2nd ODI: November 29 — SCG
3rd ODI: December 1 — Manuka Oval
1st T20I: December 4 — Manuka Oval
2nd T20I: December 6 — SCG
3rd T20I: December 8 — SCG
1st Test: December 17-21 — Adelaide Oval
2nd Test: December 26-31 — MCG
3rd Test: January 7- 11 — SCG
4th Test: January 15-19 — Brisbane