As soon as BCCI has announced the 20 members Indian squad for World Test Championship final 2021 against New Zealand to be played at Southampton, England, it also published team India’s plan for World Test Championship (WTC).
Team India lead by Virat Kohli will start its preparation for the WTC final from May 25 when they start their quarantine here in India for 8 days. The Indian squad will stay in quarantine for 10 days in England before the final.
According to a BCCI official, “You can expect the boys to come into the bubble on May 25 as it will be an eight-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.”
“Once in the 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,” the statement added.
As Team India is scheduled to stay in England for 3 months, players are being allowed to travel with their families.
“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 traveling with them,” the official said.
Vaccination of Indian squad for World Test Championship Final
Regarding the vaccination of the player, the official said that the Govt. of India has opened vaccination for every person above 18, so the players can take their first dose.
“The Indian government has opened vaccination for every person above 18 so the players can take their first dose,” the official said.
“But the second dose is the question here and while the BCCI is looking at working closely with 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.”
On Friday, BCCI announced the 20 members Indian squad for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. The team includes Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).
