Reports: BCCI formally write to Cricket Australia about India's reluctance to travel to Brisbane

There is a huge news that has come in, with a report stating that India might not fly to Brisbane for the fourth and final Test of the series. There was a lot of back-and-forth tussle going on regarding the quarantine restrictions, with the Queensland Minister Ros Bates even stating bluntly that the Indians are not welcome if they are not willing to abide by the rules.

The Indian team players have also endured a pretty long time inside the bubble. Many of the players who are a part of the ongoing series against Australia were earlier part of the bubble in the UAE for close to two months, where the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) took place, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic.

An SEN report has also stated that the BCCI has formally written about the restrictions to Cricket Australia. The report further states that the Indian players have been in a lockdown for an ‘extended’ period now, having already played the IPL as well.

“The BCCI have formally written to Cricket Australia about the restrictions that will be imposed on the Indian team in Brisbane. They are against that. They’ve been in lockdown for an extended period of time, of course most of these people were playing in the IPL in Abu Dubai and then came here to Australia,” said reporter Jimmy Smith to SEN.

BCCI terms protocols as ‘too restrictive’

The report also added that the quarantine is too restrictive for the players and it looks like India might not want to travel to Brisbane. The Indian side reportedly also want to ‘walk around’ just like other normal people.

“So they’re saying ‘nope, too restrictive, once we’ve passed the protocols, why can’t we walk around like the rest of the people in the community. The advice is that they don’t want to go to Brisbane,” added the report. It is also a known fact that Australia are virtually invincible at The Gabba in Brisbane, and some feel that it is due to this incredible record that Australia has at this venue that India is refusing to travel to Brisbane.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan took a cheeky dig at the Indian side regarding the same. “Covid restrictions or the pitch in Brisbane they are concerned about?” asked Vaughan.