BCCI and Cricket South Africa have mutually agreed that the upcoming 3 matches Test series and as many matches ODI series between the two teams-India and South Africa will continue even if there is an isolated case of COVID-19 among players or support staff and close contacts will not be forced into isolation, the host board’s medical officer Dr. Shuaib Manjra has said.
India will start their three-match Test series against the Proteas on December 26 at the Centurion followed by Tests in Johannesburg (January 3-7) and Cape Town (Jan 11-15). The Tests will be followed by three ODIs on January 19, 21, and 23.
BCCI And CSA Agrees To Continue Tour Even If An Isolated Case Of Covid-19 Happens And Close Contacts Won’t Be Forced Into Isolation
While there is a specific agreement that BCCI can pull out of the tour in case the situation in South Africa, where the new more deadly variant Omicron was found, gets worsened, a senior official said that they are not contemplating any pullout as of now.
“We have discussed and agreed a protocol with India. Considering that all those within the ecosystem will be vaccinated, the positive case will isolate within the hotel room if clinically stable,” Cricket South Africa provided Dr. Shuaib Manjra’s comments.
“Contacts will continue playing and training with non-medical interventions strictly observed and tested daily,” he added.
It is understood that Rapid Antigen Tests will be carried out daily and both the teams India and Proteas are ready for the eventuality that there will be positive cases. But as long as proper precautions are taken, the series will continue.
BCCI Satisfied With Bio Bubble Provided By CSA For Indian Team
The Indian team was scheduled to fly out on December 9, with the first Test starting at Johannesburg on December 17. The team was to play 3 Tests, 3 ODIs, and 4 T20Is in South Africa before the all-format series was rescheduled and it was announced that 4 T20Is will be part of the next tour. Cricket South Africa had announced the updated schedule of India’s men’s tour of South Africa, beginning December 26.
Previously, India A side toured the rainbow nation for the three-unofficial Tests from November 23 to December 9 and came back unharmed. This gave BCCI the confidence to go ahead with the tour although the four-match T20I, which was part of the tour, will be played on the new date.
“The BCCI is very satisfied with the kind of bio-bubble that CSA has provided for the Indian team. Yes, we will definitely take a decision which is in the best interests of our players and their families. As of now, everyone is in the bubble and being tested regularly,” a senior BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity.
“The bone of contention was what happens to close contacts. You can have one player or support staff testing positive but in earlier times, we have seen that close contacts, even if they return negative in RT-PCR, have to isolate themselves. When that happens, it becomes difficult to continue with the matches,” the BCCI official said.
The tour by India after a hiatus of about 3 years is very important for Cricket South Africa from a commercial rights point of view besides the massive broadcast rights money to be earned from the series.
In Centurion, the Indian team is staying in a resort with a lot of open spaces within the created bio-bubble so that players, as well as their families, are not confined to an enclosed space as it can happen in swanky five-star hotels. The matches in this series will be played behind closed doors.
India has won only 3 Tests in South Africa tour- in 2006, they won their first-ever game in the longest format in the first game of the series. Four years later they repeated the feat under MS Dhoni while a further eight years later, the Virat Kohli-led side won after losing the first two Tests. Overall, India has played 20 Test matches in South Africa, winning just three, and in their last trip in 2018, they lost the series 2-1.