BCCI officials not allowed to attend WTC final in the UK due to strict Covid rules

BCCI office-bearers, including Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah, will not be present for the WTC final against New Zealand. The decision has been taken due to the strict quarantine rules of the country. However, the families of cricketers and support staff of both the Indian men's and women's cricket teams will be permitted to accompany them during their England tour this month. The Indian cricket board had requested that the players be allowed the company of their family members, considering they have to spend a lot of time in a bio-secure bubble because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian men's cricket team set to play six Test matches in England

Both Indian men's and women's teams will be leaving for Southampton after reaching London. The women's cricket team will play their one-off Test in Bristol from June 16-19. The entire team will also do their hard quarantine in Southampton along with the men's team at Hotel Hilton, which is a part of the Hampshire Bowl property. After that, the women's team is expected to travel to Bristol on completion of their hard quarantine in Southampton. Both Indian teams have already served a 14-day quarantine period (home plus hotel) in India. They have also undergone six RT-PCR negative tests, which will allow them to board the charter flight to London on Wednesday. 

The Indian men's cricket team is going to play six Test matches in England. This includes the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, followed by five Tests against England. The five-match series against England in their home ground begins on August 4. The opening Test of the series is going to be held at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Surprisingly, India defeated England at the same venue when they last met back in the year 2018. The Lord's, Headingley, Kennington Oval, and Old Trafford are the venues for the remaining four matches of the Test series.

The Men in Blue have been brilliant in the most extended format of the game lately. First, the World No. 1 Test team defeated Australia in their own backyard to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After that, India also beat England in home Tests. Meanwhile, last week the International Cricket Council (ICC) also confirmed that the UK Government permitted an exemption to the WTC Final with regards to the strict COVID protocols in the country.

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