‘Don’t Want to be Treated Like Animals in Zoo’ – Indian Cricket Team Against Stringent Restrictions

The source said India contingent has been demanding a similar treatment that is being meted out to an ordinary Australian citizen and they are ready to follow all the government protocols.

The Indian cricket team is reportedly against being put into hotel quarantine in Sydney for the third Test against Australia, saying they don’t want to be treated like ‘animals in the zoo.’ They argue that since the crowd is being given the freedom to attend the Test, it is in stark contradiction to how cricketers are being treated despite testing negative for the coronavirus.

On Monday, BCCI announced that the entire India contingent including the players and the support staff has tested negative for the coronavirus. The two teams are scheduled to fly to Sydney from Melbourne following the arrival of the results.

“We think it’s contradictory if you are going to allow fans to come to the ground and enjoy that freedom, and then ask us as performers to go back to the hotel and quarantine. That is especially after we’ve been tested negative for the virus. We don’t want to be treated like we are animals in the zoo,” Cricbuzz quoted an unnamed Team India source as saying on Monday.

The source said India contingent has been demanding a similar treatment that is being meted out to an ordinary Australian citizen and they are ready to follow all the government protocols.

“It goes back to what we’ve said from the beginning. We want to follow the same rules as every Australian citizen in the country. So, if crowds weren’t allowed inside the ground, then it makes sense for them to ask us to quarantine inside the hotel,” the source said.

According to the source, Cricket Australia’s medical team had communicated that the players won’t be allowed to leave their floors in Brisbane, the venue of the fourth Test, a demand they have rejected.

“We were told by their medical team that we wouldn’t be allowed to leave our respective floors in the hotel. The senior team management immediately said that these conditions weren’t acceptable for us. That’s the last we heard about the matter,” the source said.

The source further said that it has been a challenge to remain in the biobubble with few of the being inside it for nearly six months now. “Our players have made lots of sacrifices on this tour like Mohammad Siraj not being able to go back to attend his father’s funeral. Some of our boys have been inside a bubble for nearly six months and it’s not been easy for anyone,” the source said.