India Tour of South Africa – Booster Shots for Team India? In a bid to ensure the incoming and money-spinning tour by India goes ahead, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has made a new offer to BCCI. According to available information, CSA has offered ‘Covid-19 Booster Shots’ for the Indian cricket team on its arrival in South Africa. The offer has been made after due permissions from the South African government – Follow India vs South Africa series LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN
What the booster shots can do? The booster shots can reduce the risk of infection and minimize it to great extent. According to local reports in South Africa, both the Proteas team as well as the entire touring party can be given booster shots to reduce any risks of Covid-19 infections.
The tour is of great commercial significant of CSA as even a single match lost will result in huge loses for the local board.
“Cricket South Africa has repeatedly assured us of highest standards of BIO-BUBBLES and other protections around the team. We are confident about their abilities & we are ready to tour. The government needs to clear it”, said the BCCI official.
India Tour of South Africa: Cricket SA offers ‘booster shots’ for Virat Kohli and company, pleads with BCCI ’safe to tour’
Booster Shots for Team India? India are scheduled to play three Tests, three ODIs and four T20s in SA, starting with the first Test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on December 17 and run until the fourth T20 match on January 26 at Boland Park in Paarl.
But again as per the board sources, team is unlikely to travel to South Africa on 9th December. Provided the BCCI gets government clearance, Indian team will travel to South Africa either on 15th or 16th December now.
That means, one test will be shaved off from the tour and now the series will start with Boxing Day test on December 26th and will be limited to only two tests.
The logistics will be reworked. Meanwhile, BCCI is yet to name or select the Indian team for South Africa tour but the players who were rested for the New Zealand series have reached Mumbai to start the quarantine on Friday. Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur & Rishabh Pant have all assembled as decided earlier by the BCCI in designated hotel.
The tour will also be discussed today at the BCCI AGM and final decision can be taken by the BCCI.
Cricket South Africa still confident ‘Indian team coming on December 9th’
CSA acting chief executive Pholetsi Moseki has publicly declared in local media that BCCI has assured him that team is arriving as planned earlier on 9th Dec and ’no matches are getting reduced’.
“CSA has instituted world-class standards and measures to ensure all players, staff and officials are protected within this environment, and we will surely keep the Indian & the Proteas team completely safe from any intrusion of infection” said CSA’s chief medical officer Dr Shuaib Manjra.