8-day India bubble, 10-day UK quarantine part of BCCI’s plan for WTC final, England Tests
India’s extended touring party for the all-important UK tour will begin its preparations from May 25 when skipper Virat Kohli and his boys enter into a bubble created for them here and stay in it for as many as eight days.
The eight-day bubble stay will be followed by a quarantine phase of ten days in the UK ahead of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, starting June 18 in Southampton, and also the five-Test series versus England, beginning August.
A BCCI official close to discussions on India’s travelling arrangements confirmed the plan, stating that the idea of breaking the isolation phase into two different sections is to help Kohli’s men train from the moment they reach England on June 2.
“You can expect the boys to come into the bubble on May 25 as it will be an 8-day quarantine period which will not just involve testing against COVID-19, but also there will not be any movement as the boys prepare for the UK schedule,” the board official was quoted as saying in an ANI report.
“Once in UK on June 2, the boys will go for another 10-day quarantine. But this time the cricketers can train as they are moving from the bubble in India to the bubble in England in a charter plane. A bubble to bubble move lets them train even though there will be continuous testing at all times and no further movement.”
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8-day India bubble, 10-day UK quarantine part of BCCI’s plan for WTC final, England Tests
India’s forthcoming tour, also featuring intra-squad matches as preparation aid for six Tests against New Zealand and England will be their longest in the UK since the turn of the century. With the final Test scheduled to end on September 14, the travelling squad will be in the UK for more than three months. Therefore, the official said that the BCCI will allow players to take their families with them.
“Not just the duration of the tour, the COVID-19 restrictions also mean you cannot move around the place. There will be more than a month’s gap between the Test Championship final and the opening Test against England in Trent Bridge from August 4. The players will have their families travelling with them,” the official said.
One other important area of concern for the BCCI is the vaccination process amid the devastating latest wave of the pandemic. The official said the board is awaiting greater clarity on how India’s UK-bound players can also take their jabs on time.
“The Indian government has opened vaccination for every person above 18 so the players can take their first dose. But the second dose is the question here and while the BCCI is looking at working closely with the England and Wales Cricket Board to ensure players can get a second dose in the UK, if that is not approved by the UK government, we will have the vaccine taken from India for the second dose. Let’s see how that works out in the coming days,” the official explained.