The Indian cricket squad seems to have landed itself in hot waters after pictures of them eating at a restaurant was shared by a fan. Cricketers Rohit Sharma, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini have now been accused of breaching the bio bubble protocols.
The Indian team is in Australia for the India - Australia series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India and Cricket Australia have now put the players in isolation and is currently investigating the matter.
What happened?
The report of the players having breached the bio bubble protocols made headlines when a fan claimed to have seen them at a restaurant. The fan even shared their picture and claimed to have paid their bill. What was even more shocking was that the fan claimed of even hugging one of the players, but later said he had written it in excitement.
The fan named Navaldeep Singh had shared their video sitting at a restaurant. He wrote, "Bc mere saamne waale table par gill pant sharma saini fuckkkkkk." Sharing a picture of a bill, he further wrote:
They are not aware but i have paid there table bill :) . Least i can do for my superstars" (sic)...When they got know that i have paid the bill.. Rohit sharma said bhaji pese lelo yaar acha nai lagta.. i said no sir its on me. Pant hugged me and said photo tabhi hogi jab pese loge wapis. I said no bro not happening. Finally sabane photo khichwai :) mja aa gya yaar #blessed."
However, he soon tweeted, "Clarification - Pant never hugged me it was all said in excitement we maintained social distance all thru:) Apologies for miscommunication @BCCI @CricketAus @dailytelegraph".
The protocol
As per the Australian cricket's bio bubble protocol, players are allowed to eat at restaurants but only outdoors. Further, they should be wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, which didn't seem to be happening in this case.
Cricket Australia's take
"The players – Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini – have been separated from the Indian and Australian squads but will still train in accordance with the strict protocols that have been put in place to ensure the ongoing safety of all members of the Indian and Australian squads," said Cricket Austrtalia in a statement.
The BCCI and CA are investigating the matter before determining whether the outing constitutes a breach of biosecurity protocols. Meanwhile, on the advice of the Australian and Indian medical teams, the five players have been placed in isolation as a precaution. "This will include separating the group of players from the broader Indian and Australian squads when traveling and at the training venue," explained the statement.
