India vs Australia: ‘Either rule yourself out for selection or once selected respect the bio bubble’ says Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batsman and cricket commentator Sanjay Manjrekar on Monday made a strong statement as he asked cricketers to follow the strict protocols in place to combat Covid-19. Manjrekar’s comment comes after a video emerged of five Indian players dining inside a restaurant in Melbourne on Friday. The entire episode has now sparked a huge controversy with both the cricket boards getting involved. Things took a serious turn after a Queensland minister made a comment where she said, “If the Indians don’t want to play by the rules, don’t come.”

ALSO READ | ‘You knew there were restrictions’: Brad Haddin says ‘India trying not to play at Gabba’

“It’s quite simple really. Either rule yourself out for selection or once selected respect the bio bubble & the strict protocols. Can’t have it both ways,” Manjrekar wrote on Twitter.

Here’s the post:

Earlier today, the BCCI said in a statement that the playing members of the Indian Cricket Team and support staff underwent an RT-PCR Test for Covid-19 on January 3, and all of them have returned negative results.

ALSO READ | India vs Australia: All Indian players test negative for coronavirus - Report

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley, on Monday, rubbished the reports that the touring party is reluctant to play the fourth Test at Gabba due to stricter quarantine rules there. He stated that the BCCI was ‘fully supportive’ of quarantine requirements in Queensland.

“We speak to our counterparts at the BCCI daily. We’ve had nothing formal from the BCCI to suggest anything other than they’re supportive. Both teams have wanted to play the schedule as we’ve set out,” Hockley told the Australian media.

India and Australia are scheduled to play the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which begins from January 7.