CHENNAI: The Australian team will like to play the fourth Test at Brisbane, even if it means going back to a hard quarantine: hotel to stadium and back, meals only in respective rooms and no mingling in the hotel lobby.
A few reports on Saturday suggested that the Indian team would be reluctant to go back to a stringent bio-bubble and thus, wanted to play the last two Tests in one venue.
Their concerns are understandable considering they have been living in a bio-bubble since August and have already been treated to two proper quarantines in that period (one in UAE before the IPL and one in Australia before the ODI leg). Since then, their bio-bubble has allowed for the team to step out, including eating and shopping outside (with a few applicable caveats).
But with Queensland closing their borders with Greater Sydney (an exception has been made for the teams to travel without serving a two-week isolation period), there is now a fear that the Queensland government could place maximum restrictions on the two teams considering they would travel to Brisbane after the completion of the third Test in Sydney on January 11.
Harsher restrictions are in place because of the spike in cases in the Sydney region over the last two-three weeks. Both teams, meanwhile, will proceed to Sydney as per schedule on Monday.
The travelling party will also consist of the five players who were placed in temporary isolation for an alleged breach of Covid-19 protocol. It was no surprise that this topic dominated Sunday morning's press conference with Matthew Wade.
"It's no secret that we love the Gabba (Brisbane) and want to go there," he said. ""We'd prefer not to (tweak the schedule). Cricket Australia (CA) have been firm that we will stick to the schedule that we rolled out at the start of the summer, so I would expect us to go to the Gabba regardless of if that's more of a quarantine-based hotel-ground-come home."
The main reason the Australians like to play there is their record. They haven't lost there since 1988, a run of 31 games. Throw in the fact that India haven't won there in six attempts (five losses) and it is no brainer that the hosts want to go there for what will be a series-defining Test, any which way you look at it. That record was mentioned by the 33-year-old.
"Our record is very good there and we tend to play good cricket. India have a great bowling line-up and a great team, so we certainly won't take it for granted when we get there but we'd love to play at the Gabba. If it went two games back-to-back at the SCG it would not be something we would want to do... there is no secret we love the Gabba and want to get there."
Even though the teams haven't been told the exact restrictions the teams will be put through, Wade says they have been informed that there will be a harder quarantine than the one they had in Melbourne. "(There is a) little bit of uncertainty but potential harder quarantine than what we have here, that is for sure," he said.
"That's been relayed to us, no one knows the finer details, but yes, it would be a stricter protocol than here."
Warner in
It's likely that the hosts will play David Warner, who is still not 100 per cent fit. "David Warner will probably play the Test," Wade said. However, it remains to be seen if Wade opens with Warner, or is completely shunted from the XI as even Will Pucovski has been recalled into the squad.