India coach Ravi Shastri strides into SCG training session unmasked as touring party continue to bend Cricket Australia's biosecurity protocols

India's touring party are continuing to test the patience of Cricket Australia amid the COVID-19 crisis, with coach Ravi Shastri today striding through the Sydney Cricket Ground gates unmasked for his side's training session.

Every player of India's squad wore a mask but Shastri refused, walking defiantly past security guards and into his team's change-rooms.

India first landed themselves in trouble when Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Navdeep Saini and Prithvi Shaw were filmed eating at a Melbourne restaurant on New Year's Day, breaching Cricket Australia's strict biosecurity protocols.

Every one of the five players then tested negative to COVID-19, but the fact they had gone tantalisingly close to a Juice Boost kiosk at which a coronavirus-positive employee had recently worked served as a serious wake-up call.

It was then revealed on Tuesday India captain Virat Kohli and teammate Hardik Pandya had paid a visit to a toddler's store in Sydney on December 7.

They even posed for a photo in the shop with members of the public without wearing masks.

Kohli and Pandya were about to return to India after the completion of the T20 series against Australia, with Kohli ending the tour early because of the birth of his first child.

Further intensifying Cricket Australia's frustration with India is the fact they don't want the fourth Test to be played at The Gabba because of the strict quarantine they would face.

An unnamed figure in India's camp says they are being treated like "animals at the zoo".

And stand-in India captain Ajinkya Rahane today refused to confirm whether his side would fly to Brisbane for the final Test.

"We as players - we are just focusing on this Test match. The Indian team management - they will take the decisions," Rahane said.

"For us as players, it's all about giving our best on the field.

"The Test match is starting tomorrow, so we are just focusing on that and we want to do well."

It should be noted Australia haven't lost a Test at The Gabba since 1988 and India have never won there, prompting many to question the real reason for India's reluctance to travel to Brisbane.