Mumbai Oct 30 : The wives and kids can accompany the Indian cricketers on the two-and-half month tour of Australia, the Indian cricket board has verbally assured the players. The BCCI were earlier reluctant to allow families due to tough quarantine restrictions in Australia but reconsidered after requests from a few senior players. Someone like Ravindra Jadeja would have been without his family for six months by end of the series in Australia had BCCI not managed to convince the Australian cricket board to allow a jumbo touring group of 60 members.
“A few Indian players had requested us to allow family because some of them didn’t bring their wives to UAE,” a BCCI official said. “We have informally informed players that they can take their families. Their families passport details have been taken,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express. Sporting events are taking place in Australia with 50 per cent crowds in most stadiums and Cricket Australia were in talks with local health authorities who were strict on the logistics of staying in a bubble and the limited number of people in the touring party.
The Indian team is scheduled to depart to Australia via a charter flight from Dubai after IPL. The players will be undergoing a 14 days quarantine in Sydney, however, like UAE they will be allowed to train and use practice facilities after seven days.
The players have also been given a choice if they want their families to return to India after the ODI series or come back with them after the Test series gets done.
“The board has arranged a chartered flight for those players who will not be part of the Test squad. They will fly back to India after a one-day series. It’s up to players whether they want to send their families after one-dayers or after a Test series gets over,” official added.
Though players will be allowed to use practice and gym areas, Indian players want similar kind of arrangement to be made for their families as it was in UAE for the IPL. Many IPL franchises allowed players to bring wives and girlfriends to the UAE. With a designated area in place to meet and greet, players and families didn’t have much problem.
India will play three T20, three ODI’s and four Test matches against Australia starting from November 27. It will be the first series during the pandemic for the Indian team.
(TIE)
