BCCI President Ganguly to negotiate shorter quarantine with CA for Rohit & Ishant Sharma?

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly will be leading the negotiations with Cricket Australia (CA) to shorten the quarantine period for Team India players Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma, so that they can be part of the Test series. ANI sources have reported that Ganguly is most likely to reach a common ground with his Australian counterpart to allow the Indian duo to play the first Test which begins on December 17 at Adelaide and is slated to be a day-night affair. As per the current protocols, the duo will have to undergo two-weeks of mandatory quarantine upon reaching Australia. 

'Decision will be reached'

"The BCCI President will be speaking to his counterpart at Cricket Australia and a decision will be reached after their meeting. The current quarantine guidelines might make it impossible for the two to reach Australia and be a part of the Test series as under existing rules, they will need to completely isolate themselves and cannot train in the quarantine period," ANI sources reported. 

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The rest of the Indian squad which travelled straight from the IPL in UAE to Sydney and was under strict quarantine had been allowed to train meanwhile since they flew from one bubble to another. Team India Head Coach Ravi Shastri had earlier said that the duo will have to board a flight by November 28, if they have to be a part of the Test series. Rohit Sharma's rehabilitation has triggered a fresh controversy with fans lambasting the board for creating a complete ruckus over his inclusion in the squad. The limited-overs vice-captain has been rested for the white ball series owing to an injury he sustained during IPL, however, he was deemed fit to play the final in which he played a blistering knock.

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Rohit and Ishant Sharma are currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, where they are recovering under the watchful eyes of Rahul Dravid. While there is still no clarity from the board on Rohit Sharma's recovery, the batsman himself is determined to feature in the Test squad against Australia. "I will tell you the same thing that I have told everyone all this while. I will be happy to bat wherever the team wants me to but I don't know if they would change my role as an opener," Rohit told PTI in an exclusive interview on November 22. 

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India tour of Australia 

India will kick off their tour to Australia with a three-match ODI series starting on Friday, 27 November, followed by as many T20Is and four Tests. The T20Is will be played in Canberra (4 December) and Sydney (6, 8 December). The ODI series will also be significant as it will be a part of ICC Super League. The Indian team is currently under mandatory 2-week quarantine, however, it has been allowed to train under strict protocols. The Men in Blue will also miss the services of their limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who has been rested for white-ball series and is expected to join the team for the Test series.

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The first Test will be a day/night affair, from 17-21 December at the Adelaide Oval. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (26-30 December) will host the Boxing Day Test, before the action moves to the Sydney Cricket Ground (7-11 January) and the Gabba (15-19 January). With India currently on top of the World Test Championship table and Australia in second, the series is expected to be a thriller, as it will also be a part of the ICC World Test Championship.