No strict bio-bubble in place for India-South Africa T20Is

The upcoming five-match T20I series between India and South Africa will not have strict bio-bubble restrictions. This will be the first international series in two years where a bio-bubble has not been implemented for the Indian side since the Covid-19 pandemic started. This means that players and their families will not be required to serve any quarantine upon their arrival.

However, as a mark of precaution, large gatherings will be avoided and following Covid-appropriate behaviour has been advised. The present Covid-19 situation in India has improved massively in the last few months and the BCCI had earlier suggested about having no bio-bubble if the situation continues.

The IPL 2022 recently had different bio-bubbles for ten different franchises and the players had to undergo a three-day quarantine before entering the bio-bubble. It was not easy for the players as there has been a lot of mental stress associated with it and despite the restrictions, the Delhi Capitals camp had several positive Covid-19 cases. However, the situation remained under control throughout the season and a successful tournament was conducted eventually.

Meanwhile, the five-match T20I series starts on the 9th of June and will go until the 19th of June as a preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. KL Rahul has been named as the captain for India while the big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have been all rested.

Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya have returned to the squad after impressing in the recent IPL 2022 while Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh have earned their maiden call-ups to the side. Karthik impressed one and all with his batting show throughout IPL 2022 and was instrumental in RCB’s journey till Qualifier 2.

India’s Squad for the T20I series: KL Rahul (Capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (VC) (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik