The Virat Kohli led Indian Test team will leave for England for four months in the upcoming weeks, but before that they will undergo hard quarantine.
The touring party will start their two-week long hard quarantine in Mumbai on 19 May, along with the women’s team before departing on 2 June by a charter flight to London, ESPNCricinfo reported.
Bio-Bubble in Mumbai
All the players not residing in Mumbai begin their quarantine on 19 May, while the rest will join the team on 24 May. The BCCI has arranged charter flights that will pick up all the players, coaches and support staff from various parts of the country and bring them to Mumbai. The flights will reportedly travel to Mumbai from Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad.
Along with Kohli, his deputy Ajinkya Rahane, senior batsman Rohit Sharma along with head coach Ravi Shastri are among those who will join the bubble in Mumbai in the second phase.
All players are also required to report to Mumbai with three negative coronavirus tests.
Wriddhiman Saha, who had tested positive for COVID-19 during IPL 2021, has recovered and will join the Mumbai bubble in the week leading to the England departure. Saha, who was in quarantine for 2 weeks, is currently in Kolkata visiting his family.
While the BCCI are currently allowing family to quarantine with the players in Mumbai, there are question marks about them travelling to England due to concerns centred around the pandemic.
Quarantine in UK
On arrival in England, the men’s team will move to Southampton immediately and is set for a 10-day spell of quarantine at the team hotel, at the Ageas Bowl.
Although, unlike the hard quarantine in Mumbai, the Indian squad would be allowed to train in a controlled fashion within the Southampton bubble, which will comprise the team hotel and the ground and training facilities.
The Ageas Bowl is where cricket had restarted during the pandemic last year.
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