Double dose of SCG a boost for India

Qld won’t ease its Covid limits amid objections by India’s players, putting the Gabba Test in jeopardy.

The Gabba could fall silent if India refuse to accept the terms of playing in Brisbane

India’s grip on the Border Gavaskar Trophy got a little tighter with the prospect they will not play at the Gabba and the chance Sydney will host two Tests.

India said on Sunday they would not travel to Brisbane if they were forced to comply with strict quarantine requirements and the Queensland government indicated it would not relax the rules for the cricketers. Although the door was left ajar for a compromise. Currently all travellers arriving in Queensland from Sydney are required to undergo 14 days quarantine.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: Steve Pohlner

The idea of playing India twice at the SCG — a ground that traditionally favours the visitors more than any other — filled Australia with dread when first floated some weeks back.

India has always said it was comfortable playing anywhere and proved it by playing a pink ball Test in Adelaide to kick off the series. Australia has never lost a pink ball Test and has not been beaten at the Gabba since 1988.

India is not, however, playing games over where it plays but making a stance over the conditions its tired players are subjected to when they do play. They have been clear from the start that one quarantine period was their limit.

The Indian squad is adamant it will not travel to Queensland if there are strict quarantine proposals which see them confined to rooms when not playing.

Cricket Australia has taken over the team hotels in Sydney and Brisbane exclusively. In Melbourne the sides shared the hotel with the public, but were isolated.

In Sydney, Cricket Australia has control over the biosecurity conditions that apply to the players, but in Brisbane the state government has control.

India's coach Ravi Shastri watches his players during a training session at the MCG. Picture: AFP

Some members of the Australian side are also upset about the prospect of a lockdown after nearly five months of biosecurity restrictions.

Consequently, Sydney will have two Tests unless the Queensland government backs down or there is a change of heart from the Indians.

The Queensland government already blocked the limited overs part of the tour in a show of force ahead of the state election.

Where NSW bent over backward to host the third Test, Queensland has not been so flexible.

Queensland‘s chief health officer Jeannette Young said the state would not move from its position on compulsory quarantine.

Dr Young said Cricket Australia was responsible for the actions and communication with the visiting team, saying no exceptions would be made.

“We can‘t (offer leeway),” Dr Young said “No different from anyone else, if they are coming from a declared hotspot they will have to quarantine.

“That is a discussion cricket Australia will need to have with the players.”

There is one glimmer of hope for the tour, however.

Footage of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Navdeep Saini dining out has been posted on social m,edia. Picture Navaldeep Singh/ Twitter

Singh paid for the players’ $118 dollar food bill.

A proposal has been put forward to confine cricketers and officials coming from Sydney to a hotel upon arrival. While they would be allowed to mingle outside of their rooms in “bubbles”, they would only be allowed to leave the hotel to play and train.

“They are going to be training and playing with colleagues for the matches, so they are going to have exposure there,” Dr Young said. “So, it doesn‘t concern me if they have exposure with one another in the hotel.”

Senior Indian sources told The Australian on Sunday they would not accept the imposition of further restrictions on mentally exhausted players and they will not go to Brisbane for the fourth Test if they are confined to rooms.

The Australian team has already been told it will be restricted to their hotel rooms when not training or playing, but the Indian team has received no word.

Both sides are staying at the same hotel in Melbourne and are due to fly to Sydney on Monday.

When last contacted Cricket Australia said it was still negotiating a clause that would see parts of its group quarantined for six days after the match before returning home because it would be less than two weeks since they were last in Sydney. CA and the BCCI were meeting on Sunday night.

The SCG Test will be played amid tightening public restrictions.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro hinted that the controversial decision to allow 20,000 people to attend the match while other businesses and members of the public face restrictions is not guaranteed.

Wet weather, which increases the risk of aerial transmission of COVID-19, is forecast for the match.

“There are some concerns about the SCG and the upcoming Test that (NSW) Health is working through with those organisers,” Mr Barilaro said on Sunday.

The Deputy Premier said the government’s priority was to ensure those attending the test were safe.

“We protect those patrons, we protect the community,” Barilaro said.

“We have already proven in this state that we can hold large events like the NRL grand final and State of Origin, and we haven’t had that issue of a transmission.”

Cricket Australia and the BCCI have already had to deal with a biosecurity breach by five Indian players who went to a restaurant in Melbourne’s Chadstone Shopping Centre.

Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini were seen dining in the restaurant on Friday afternoon.

Players have been told they can attend restaurants and cafes but must sit outside and not with members of the public. They are told not to allow fans to take selfies, but being photographed is acceptable.

The five players who committed the breach have been placed in isolation in the team environment.

A similar situation occurred in the BBL last month when two players breached the biosecurity arrangements in Canberra.

Cricket Australia released a statement on Saturday night confirming a joint investigation with the BCCI into the Melbourne incident.

Additional reporting: Mackenzie Scott