The Indian Test team landed in South Africa on 16 December and went into quarantine for a day before starting preparations for the Boxing Day Test starting 26 December. The growing concern over the new COVID variant Omicron in South Africa and elsewhere in the world means that Cricket South Africa (CSA) is extra vigilant to keep players safe and ensure that the tour goes ahead without any hiccups.
Just a few days back, in a joint decision by the CSA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it was announced that the series would not be open to the public and hence tickets would not go on sale.
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In an effort to ensure that preparations are full-proof, CSA has booked Irene Country Lodge in Centurion for the Indian players, their families and management.
Timeslive.co.za reported that this grand hotel was closed in the hope that tourists would stay there. Virat Kohli’s team is staying at the hotel ahead of the Boxing Day Test at Centurion’s SuperSport Park and the New Year’s Test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
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Anwar Karim, MD, Irene Country Lodge, said the hotel organized two successful bio-bubbles on behalf of Cricket SA, at the peak of COVID-19. “We have done this before and we look forward to hosting India. This is a real privilege. As far as the bio-bubble is concerned, the hotel is closed to the public as we speak,” Karim said.
He said, “You must remember that in the last two bio-bubbles we hosted, we were at the height of Covid-19. I remember last year when Sri Lanka was here, we were under strict lockdown. But there is no difference between the previous bio-bubbles and this bio-bubble.”
The South African resort is ensuring that all measures are taken to protect the safety and well-being of all. They believe it is in the best interest of the hotel, but also in the best interest of South Africans, who must do everything necessary to ensure that the tour goes as planned.
India’s tour of South Africa will be the country’s first tour in three years, and the team will be looking forward to register their maiden Test win in the Rainbow Nation. The three Test matches will be played as part of the World Test Championship cycle 2021–2023, followed by a three-match bilateral ODI series. The four-match T20I series which was part of the original schedule has been postponed and will be played at a later date.
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