Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has asked the players to respect the bio-secure bubble and strict protocols amid the on-going Australia tour. Manjrekar's comments come after five Indian players including vice-captain Rohit Sharma were pictured eating inside a restaurant in Melbourne on Friday, causing a stir on social media.
A video of Rohit, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini went viral after a fan shared it on his Twitter page, who even claimed to have paid their bill. He further added that he hugged Pant before clarifying on the following day that he didn't.
"The players were put in isolation soon after. However, they were allowed to train "in accordance with the strict protocols that have been put in place to ensure the ongoing safety of all members of the Indian and Australian squads," Cricket Australia (CA) had said in a release.
After landing themselves in the soup, the five players were reportedly isolated from the touring contingent. However, all members of the Indian team tested negative in their Covid-19 tests on Sunday. Rohit and other four players will now be available for the third Test in Sydney, scheduled to start from January 7 at the SCG.
Manjrekar, reacting to the possible bio-bubble breach by Indian players, tweeted, "It’s quite simple really. Either rule yourself out for selection or once selected respect the bio bubble & the strict protocols. Can’t have it both ways."
The four-Test series is currently tied at 1-1 after India's eight-wicket victory at the MCG in Boxing Day Test. While Australia thumped the visitors in the opening Test in Adelaide, the Indian unit, led by stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane, made an impressive comeback in the second Test to level the series.
Meanwhile, the crowd capacity for the third Test has been reduced to 25 per cent of the SCG's seating capacity in the wake of fresh coronavirus cases in Sydney. The SCG has a seating capacity of about 38,000 but only 9500 people (approximately) will be allowed at the venue.
"Reducing the capacity of the venue is crucial in achieving social distancing requirements, and we sincerely thank ticket-holders for their patience, as we process refunds today, reconfigure the SCG seating plan to deliver these social distancing measures and go back on sale," Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said in a statement.
