India's tour rocked by revelation of potential COVID-19 breach by Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya
India's tour of Australia has been hit with another controversy after an apparent breach of Australia's biosecurity protocols by skipper Virat Kohli in December.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Kohli and teammate Hardik Pandya, who both departed to India after the T20 series, walked into a baby shop in Sydney on December 7, before buying items and posing for pictures with the store's staff.
The visit is considered a "low end" breach of CA's strict biosecurity protocols, with both Kohli and Pandya not wearing masks while they were inside the store.
Kohli left India's tour prematurely to be with his wife Anushka Sharma as the pair awaits the arrival of their first child, while Pandya has a five month old son. Kohli and Pandya recently enjoyed a New Year's Eve dinner together with their families.
However, the baby breach was not the only breaking of the bubble by the Indians, with the report also revealing that a group of Indian players made a late-night visit to an eatery in Adelaide a week later, again maskless.
Virat Kohli (C) and Hardik Pandya (R) pose for a photo with a staff member of Baby Village Instagram
News of India's multiple breaches during this tour come as the BCCI investigates an alleged breach from five players during the team's Melbourne visit.
Despite Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Navdeep Saini and Prithvi Shaw being placed in isolation after being filmed at a restaurant at Chadstone Shopping Centre, all five are expected to be available to participate in the third Test.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the BCCI is expected to take a "pragmatic approach" to dealing with the quintet, even if they are found to have breached CA's strict biosecurity protocols.
Sharma, Gill and Pant are all expected to be in the XI for the third Test, with Sharma having recently joined the Indian squad after completing a 14-day quarantine period.
Team India is not keen on being placed in a strict hotel quarantine during the fourth Test in Brisbane Getty
Like the Kohli and Pandya incident, the alleged breach of the five players is considered to on the low end. However, Cricket Australia is unable to place any sanctions on the players even if they are found to have breached the protocols due to the players not being their employees.
Tensions are high between CA and the BCCI with the touring party voicing their concerns about being placed in strict quarantine for the fourth Test in Brisbane.
Queensland's shadow minister for health, Ros Bates, as well as shadow sports minister, Tim Mander, effectively told the tourists to "not come" if they were not prepared to abide by the strict protocols in the state.
Cricket Australia is hoping that the Queensland government allows for players to have a communal area set up in the hotel in order to avoid a potential Brisbane boycott, a similar set-up to what the team will have in Sydney for the third Test.
