India vs Australia | Brisbane Test to go ahead as per schedule

Bengaluru, January 5: The decks have been cleared for the Brisbane Test to go ahead as per schedule with Cricket Australia (CA) boss Nick Hockley confirming that India is ready to abide with strict quarantine measures if any is required in the state of Queensland.

Earlier there were rumours that India is weighing a boycott of the fourth Test scheduled to begin at the Gabba from January 15 over the need to re-enter strict quarantine conditions.

Australian media, citing unnamed sources within India's touring party, reported the team's players would refuse to travel to Brisbane if they were to be subjected to a hard lockdown in Queensland state.

However, Hockley said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was "fully across (and) supportive" of quarantine requirements in Queensland.

"We speak to our counterparts at the BCCI daily," Hockely told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

"We've had nothing formal from the BCCI to suggest anything other than they're supportive ... Both teams have wanted to play the schedule as we've set out."

The third test in the four-match series will start at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday (January 7), after CA decided not to move the match in the wake of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the city. The Border-Gavaskar trophy is level at 1-1.

Queensland has closed its border with New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital, but agreed to let the players travel to Brisbane for the fourth Test, as long as they agree to abide by strict biosecurity protocols.

Five Indian players are under investigation by CA and the BCCI for a potential breach of health protocols after video surfaced of them at a Melbourne restaurant.

The team and BCCI have declined to publicly affirm their support for the Brisbane quarantine plan or comment on the investigation.

However, the BCCI said in a brief statement that all players and staff had been cleared of COVID-19.

(With inputs from Agencies)