There has been a lot of controversy regarding the terms of quarantine for the fourth Test in Brisbane. Indian players has conveyed that they are not comfortable with facing another strict quarantine during the fourth and final Test against Australia. Team India had to undergo quarantine when they arrived in Australia in November where they weren’t allowed to mingle even with teammates. But the players don’t fancy the chance to be placed in quarantine again on the tour.
The BCCI had formally requested Cricket Australia to relax hard quarantine protocols in Brisbane as they said that the MoU signed between the boards mentioned only one strict isolation period.
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has talked about the situation and said that he empathises with the Indian players’ position.
“Think it’s a long time and by the time they finish the tour, it will be another eight days, maybe nine days we’re talking. 150 days in quarantine. Which is never easy. I spent 14 days in quarantine when I came here, and that was tough, so I can understand, I didn’t have any pressures of performing for my country. You’re trying to perform for your country, and then you’re in hard quarantine, then you’re alone, you know all kinds of thoughts can engulf you and actually make it even worse,” Gavaskar said on Channel 7.
“When you do that hard quarantine, you go back to your room. So if you had a bad day at the field, then all kind of thoughts are coming to your mind. So what the Indians want is they should be treated like the other Australians. The other Australians who will come to the ground, who will go back to their families, who might go to the pub, so that is what they want. So that they will be able to enjoy the fresh air, where the thoughts of the game do not crowd their mind because you wanna relax, But I honestly don’t think we’ll get to a situation where they say they’re not going to Brisbane. I think they’ll honour their commitment.” Gavaskar added.
