Rohit Sharma, Pant & 3 other Team India players isolated for breaching bubble in Australia

Issuing a statement on the alleged bio-bubble breach by Team India players, Cricket Australia has said that 5 players from the touring party have been 'separated' from the squad and have been placed under isolation. These players are Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini. While the aforementioned players have been allowed to train, the BCCI and Cricket Australia have launched an investigation into the matter. 

"The players – Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini – have been separated from the Indian and Australian squads but will still train 'in accordance with the strict protocols that have been put in place' to ensure the ongoing safety of all members of the Indian and Australian squads," said a Cricket Australia statement on Saturday

"In the interim, on the advice of the Australian and Indian medical teams, the aforementioned players have been placed in isolation as a precaution. This will include separating the group of players from the broader Indian and Australian squads when travelling and at the training venue," the statement added. 

BCCI's official comment awaited

Previously, a BCCI official on condition of anonymity had shunned the reports of bio-bubble breach by the Indian players in Australia. Speaking to PTI, the BCCI official said that the touring party is 'well-aware' of the stringent COVID-19 protocols. The Board member also termed the speculations as a 'malicious spin' by the Australian media. An official comment from the BCCI is still awaited. 

“No, there has been no breach in bio-security protocols. Everyone associated with the Indian team is well aware of the protocols. We can only term it as a malicious spin by a section of Australian media and this has started after their humiliating defeat,” PTI had quoted a BCCI senior official aware of the matter. 

A fan named Navaldeep Singh took to Twitter to share a series of tweets & a video on meeting the Team India stars at a hotel and went on to claim that he had paid their food bill. The fan also made a controversial claim that Rishabh Pant had 'hugged' him, however, backtracked and apologised later, revealing that he was 'excited' to meet them and that social distancing had been maintained throughout. 

As per the bio-bubble rules, the cricketers had been allowed to dine out at a restaurant but were told to avoid sitting indoors as it could increase the chances of contracting the COVID-19 virus. 
 

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Rohit Sharma named India's vice-captain

Two days after joining the Indian squad in Melbourne, Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the Vice-Captain for the remaining two Tests in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series, the BCCI confirmed on Friday morning. The swashbuckling opener will assume the role of Ajinkya Rahane's deputy taking over the duties from Cheteshwar Pujara. The decision also means that Rohit Sharma is set to feature in the playing XI for the third Test at the SCG. The board has also included T Natarajan into the squad to replace Umesh Yadav, who has been ruled out of the series. Yadav had sustained an injury in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test at MCG and has been sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for rehab. 

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SCG gets nod to host 3rd Test 

Clearing the cloud of doubt over the occasion for the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Cricket Australia has confirmed that the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will host the third Test of the series, as per the schedule. The rising number of COVID-19 cases had cast a doubt on the SCG playing the host for the annual pink Test, putting the national cricket board on high alert. However, officials have affirmed that the COVID-19 threat has subsided enough allowing the match at the SCG to proceed as per schedule.  

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(With PTI Inputs)