Melbourne: Cricket Australia on Saturday (January 2) has informed that all five of India’s players who were possibly found guilty of breaching the bio-secure bubble have been kept in isolation.
Notably, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini were spotted by an Indian fan on Friday (January 1) eating at a restaurant in Melbourne.
The BCCI had brushed aside any reports of team India breaking the bio-security protocols in Australia and dismissed rumours of the same. However, Cricket Australia investigated thoroughly on the entire matter and decided to keep all the five Indian players under isolation.
The fan, Navaldeep Singh, generously paid their $118.69 bill – the “least I can do for my superstars” – according to his now-viral posts on social media. Now these five players of team India are being isolated. BCCI and Cricket Australia raised their eyebrows after this statement.
Clarification – Pant never hugged me it was all said in excitement we maintained social distance all thru:) Apologies for miscommunication @BCCI @CricketAus @dailytelegraph
— Navaldeep Singh (@NavalGeekSingh) January 2, 2021
Later on, the fan declined his statement stating that it was all said in fun and excitement. On Saturday he tweeted, “Clarification – Pant never hugged me it was all said in excitement we maintained social distance all thru:) Apologies for miscommunication.”
“The BCCI and CA are investigating the matter and seeking to determine whether the outing constitutes a breach of biosecurity protocols. 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 traveling and at the training venue,” Cricket Australia said in a statement.
“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,” the statement further read.
With the series level at 1-1, the third Test is scheduled to begin from January 7-11 at Sydney Cricket Ground.
