Five India Test players, including vice-captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Navdeep Saini were isolated from the Test squad on January 2 over alleged breach of coronavirus protocols.
The cricketers had reportedly gone out to dine at a Melbourne restaurant, where they allegedly hugged a fan, thus violating COVID-19 rules.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia (CA) are currently investigating the matter to find if there was a breach of the bio-security protocol by the five Indian cricketers.
The COVID-19 rule violation came to the notice of the authorities after a fan put out a video of the five eating at an indoor restaurant on New Year’s Day. The post had gone viral on social media. Notably, the India team fan has retracted his statement claiming he had hugged Rishabh Pant.
A statement issued by Cricket Australia confirmed that a joint probe is on and the five Test players have been isolated from the remaining team.
The CA statement read: “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia (CA) were today alerted to a video post on social media that purported to show Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini eating at an indoor venue in Melbourne on New Year’s Day.”
“The BCCI and CA are investigating the matter and seeking to determine whether the outing constitutes a breach of bio-security protocols.”
“...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.”
India and Australia are currently engaged in a four Test series and their third match is due on January 7.
As per COVID-19 protocols, players are only allowed to eat out in outdoor settings that too, while observing strict social distancing.
With PTI inputs
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