Team India confirm travelling to Brisbane for fourth Test against Australia
India have confirmed going to Brisbane for the fourth and final Test against Australia, starting January 15 at The Gabba. Over the last few days, the visiting team reportedly raised a lot of concerns over the tough quarantine protocols in Brisbane at the end of the tour.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wrote a letter to the Cricket Australia (CA), asking for some relaxation in the quarantine rules. Reports of the Ajinkya Rahane-led Indian team being reluctant to go to Brisbane also did the rounds for some time.
India to go to Brisbane on Tuesday
However, a discussion between the officials from both countries has eradicated any doubts over the Brisbane Test. The squads are scheduled to travel to the north on Tuesday, January 12 after the conclusion of the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
“I had a call last night from the BCCI secretary and he confirmed we are good to travel to Brisbane on Tuesday,” CA interim CEO Nick Hockley was quoted as saying on SEN Radio.
There will be a 50 per cent crowd capacity in The Gabba Test.
Earlier, the BCCI was clear cut in saying being ‘stuck in the hotel’ after already having to go through a tough quarantine before the series would be tough. The world’s richest board, reportedly, had also proposed to move the Test out of Brisbane.
“If you look at it, we were quarantining for 14 days in Dubai before landing in Sydney and doing so for another 14 days. That means we were in a hard bubble for nearly a month before coming out. What we don’t want now is to quarantine again at the end of the tour.
“We aren’t keen on going to Brisbane if it means being stuck in the hotel again, except for going to the ground. Instead, we don’t mind being in some other city, playing both Test matches there to complete the series and returning home,” a source had said.
India don’t have a great Test record in Brisbane. Of the six Tests they’ve played, not a single one has ended in a win, whereas the Aussies have over 40 Test victories at the same venue.
