Five Indian cricketers isolating as Cricket Australia, BCCI launch investigation

Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini have been separated from the Indian and Australian squads after video emerged on social media of the group appearing to eat at an indoor venue on Friday in Melbourne.

The players will 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,” a Cricket Australia statement said on Saturday night.

Also Read: BCCI ends 14-year contract with Nike, signs MPL as new kit sponsor

A video of five players sitting at a table in a Melbourne restaurant was posted on the Twitter account of Navaldeep Singh.

Singh suggested on Friday that he paid the bill for the table, then hugged Pant. However, on Saturday, he claimed there was no hug and players kept their distance.

The four-Test series between Australia and India is being played amid a backdrop of biosecurity rules, which will get stricter when the squads travel to Sydney on Monday.

Earlier, Cricket Australia came down hard on Brisbane Heat after Chris Lynn and Dan Lawrence’s biosecurity breaches this season, fining the club $50,000 ($20,000 suspended) and each player $10,000 ($4,000 suspended).

Also Read: BCCI issues safety protocols; CSK’s pre-departure camp under scanner

Vodafone Test Series: Australia v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: India won by eight wickets

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT