Team India to tour Australia with largest-ever contingent as selectors play safe amid COVID-19: Report

The selectors will announce the jumbo squad later this week.

Bearing in mind the safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCCI will send an outsized Indian squad to Australia, comprising 32 cricketers, including India ‘A’ players, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday (October 21).

Team India are slated to play six white-ball games (three ODIs and three T20Is) against Australia before moving to four Tests.

See Also: Siraj, Shardul to compete for fifth pacer's slot in India’s Test squad for upcoming Australia tour

According to the report, selectors feel it would be risky to fly in injury replacements in the middle of the tour as players will be in a bio-bubble after serving the two-week quarantine and thus they have decided to pick the largest-ever contingent.

Travelling with a jumbo squad will also ensure enough players on tour for practice games before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scheduled for mid-December.

Considering the fact that support staff and selectors will also travel Down Under, the total number is likely to cross 50.

However, the BCCI won’t be allowing families on the tour.

“They (selection committee) have been told to pick as large a squad as they want. We want back-up players ready and in Australia right through the tour. If a player gets injured, there shouldn’t be a situation where we have to call for a player from India. In normal times we could send a player from India as a replacement but during these times, with quarantine rules in place, we don’t want to be in a situation where we are short of players,” a BCCI official quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

The report further claims that players who are not likely to feature in the Test series will be sent home after white-ball cricket is over.

The BCCI is expecting CA to release the complete itinerary later this week. Earlier, Cricket Australia has confirmed that the first Test match will be a day-night affair in Adelaide.

“Cricket Australia has sent us an itinerary. We will play three T20Is, three ODIs and four Tests there. The first Test will be a day-night game in Adelaide. The dates haven’t been finalised yet,” BCCI boss Sourav Ganguly had told The Indian Express earlier this week.

The BCCI has also asked Cricket Australia for some relaxation in the 14-day quarantine protocol as it wants the Indian players to use training facilities in a bio-secure bubble after 7 days.