Indian Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari, the only Test team members not playing in the Indian Premier League, are set to reach Dubai and join the rest of the squad members ahead of next month’s tour of Australia.
Batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar will leave with the duo while head coach Ravi Shastri is expected to join the others on Monday, according to a report by ESPNCricinfo.
On reaching UAE, the group will have to follow the same standard operating procedures put in place by the BCCI for the IPL, including a six-day quarantine in Dubai and coronavirus tests at regular intervals. However, the group won’t be a part of the IPL bio-bubble and will be staying separately.
Sydney and Canberra are set to host the white-ball leg of India’s tour of Australia after the New South Wales government allowed the visiting team to train during its mandatory quarantine upon arrival. India are scheduled to play three T20s, three ODIs and four Tests in Australia.
The official squads for the tour are yet to be announced by the Indian selectors.
“It is understood that the selectors did not want to finalise the squads without a final approval from the BCCI to the CA schedule,” the report stated.
The selectors are expected to meet early next week to finalise the three squads, which have already been discussed.
India will be travelling to Australia with a jumbo squad comprising 30 playing members across formats considering that the series will be played in a bio-bubble after the IPL concludes on November 10.
The Indian team was initially supposed to land in Brisbane but the Queensland state health authorities did not relax their 14-day quarantine rule to allow Virat Kohli and Co to train during that period.
Cricket Australia is expected to announce the entire schedule after getting it approved from the BCCI.
With PTI Inputs