Indian Men’s And Women’s Cricketers Will Have Their Families To Accompany Them For UK Tour
Jun 1, 2021 at 1:08 PM
Indian men and women players will have their families accompany them for the nearly four-month-long tour as the UK government has given a go-ahead.
India men and women players will be able to have their families accompany them for the England tour after the UK government’s clearance. Both the Indian men and women players will be flying out in the same chartered flight along with their family members.
Indian Men And Women Players Will Be Accompanied By Families
While the men’s team will play six Tests in near-about four months during their stay in England, the women’s team will play one Test, three ODIs, and as many T20Is. Currently, both Indian men and women players are undergoing 14-day quarantine in a Mumbai hotel following which they will depart for the UK.
The players will land in Southampton where they will reportedly serve another quarantine period of 10 days. Upon its completion, the men’s team will stay put at the Hampshire Bowl to start preparing for the final of the ICC World Test Championship against New Zealand which will start from June 18.
On the other hand, the women’s team, as per ESPNcricinfo, will move to Bristol for their one-off Test against England. The International Cricket Council (ICC) last week announced that the WTC Final has been “granted an exemption by the UK government” with regards to its strict COVID-19 protocols.
“Prior to traveling, the party will have spent 14 days in a bio-secure environment in India during which regular testing will have taken place. Upon landing, they will proceed directly to the on-site hotel at the Hampshire Bowl where they will be tested again before commencing a period of managed isolation,” it added.
The families of Indian men and women players and support staff of both the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams will be allowed to accompany them during their lengthy tour of England this month, a senior BCCI source revealed on Tuesday.
The families of Indian men and women players, including Virat Kohli’s wife and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma and their daughter Vamika, would be on the chartered flight that would be used by the men’s and the women’s teams. They would land in London on June 3. From London, the team will move to Southampton, the venue for the WTC final, according to ESPNCricinfo.
Sourav Ganguly And Jay Shah Will Be Absent For WTC Final Against Kiwis
However, it is learned that none of the BCCI office-bearers, including president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, will be present for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton from June 18-22, due to the strict quarantine rules of the country.
The ECB didn’t grant permission to Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah. Normally, administrators go before the Test match but as per quarantine rules, since they are non-playing members, they would have had to undergo hard quarantine of 10 days.
The BCCI had put in a request that the Indian men and women players be allowed the company of their loved ones given that they have to spend a considerable amount of time in a bio-secure bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 24-member men’s team is supposed to play an intra-squad three-day practice game to get into the groove.