Virat Kohli & Co. May Have Training Camp At Motera, Ahead Of Series In Australia

Mumbai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday formally announced the postponement of the World T20 meet which was due to be held Down Under in October-November. But India’s tour of Australia, starting in December 2020, is very much on — as of now.

It was learnt that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be organising a training camp for Virat Kohli’s men under a bio-secure environment at Ahmedabad’s refurbished Motera Stadium before they board the flight to Australia.

India and Australia are due to face off in four Tests and three ODIs.

The BCCI discussed a number of options, including the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, as possible venues for conducting the preparatory training camp, The Indian Express reported.

They finally agreed on the Motera Stadium, because of its state-of-the-art training facilities and a plush in-built accommodation centre. “We cannot go to the NCA as Bengaluru is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases. Ahmedabad with the facilities, is a place where we can hold a training camp under a bio-secure environment,” an Apex Council member who attended Friday’s meeting told ANI.

Nitty-gritties about the Australian tour are being worked out, keeping the global pandemic and restrictions in mind. A two-week quarantine period, followed by testing of players, is likely to be followed.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly wants a shorter quarantine period for the Indian team. “We just hope the number of quarantine days gets reduced a bit,” Ganguly told India Today. “Because we don’t want our players to go all that far and sit in hotel rooms for two weeks. It is very, very depressing and disappointing. We are looking at that, the quarantine thing,” he added.