Relaxed quarantine protocols by the New South Wales government will help Team India train in Sydney from the very next day upon reaching Australia for their full tour, says a report by ANI. It is learnt, skipper Virat Kohli and the rest of the touring contingent can begin their practice sessions from November 13 in Sydney after just one COVID-19 negative test.
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"The team reaches Australia on November 12 morning and after that, they will undergo corona tests and the moment they have negative reports, they are eligible to train so you can expect the boys to start training from November 13 onwards," a source in the know of developments was quoted as saying in the report.
Cricket Australia (CA) had negotiated more tourist-friendly isolation rules with the NSW health authorities, keeping in mind the state has dealt with the crisis comparatively better than Queensland, where the government wanted the strict bio-secure protocols to be definitely adhered with.
The willingness of NSW government to allow the Indians to train during the pre-series quarantine window, helped CA finalise SCG and Canberra's Manuka Oval as venues for the limited-overs leg, kickstarting the tour on November 27.
The fact that the tourists have been safe and secured for the best part of three months through IPL 2020 in UAE may have further influenced the decision.
After the end of Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) campaign on Friday (November 6), Kohli shifted bio-bubbles and moved to the one created for India's Australia-bound cricketers in Dubai.
In this bubble, Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari, Test specialists who weren't taken by any IPL franchise, have been training already under the watch of the support staff, headed by coach Ravi Shastri.
Post the conclusion of IPL 2020 on Tuesday (November 10), the rest of the squad members will join Kohli, Pujara, Vihari and fly together to Australia.
