Bipin Dani
Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari, the two automatic choices in the team for the forthcoming Australia tour have reached the UAE with the coaching support staff, it is learnt here.
Pujara and Vihari are the only BCCI contracted players not playing the IPL. They will quarantine in Dubai for a week before beginning their training with the coaches.
The Indian cricket board will send a team of over 30 players for the forthcoming tour of Australia. Selectors are likely to pick the team soon.
The BCCI is all set to instruct the national selectors to pick a long squad comprising players of Test and Limited Over class. Indian team is scheduled to play three T20Is, three ODIs, and four Tests there but the Indian cricket board is not keen to send players in two separate lots as it involves more costs for the chartered flights and logistics problems in the current COVID-19 scenario, it is also learnt.
There will be around 20 support staff members with the team.
Cricket Australia (CA) is also not keen on having the players’ families on this long tour and BCCI may ask the players accordingly to drop the idea of having families on this tour.
Majority of the players will directly leave from the UAE after the completion of the ongoing IPL.
