India's team and support staff all tested negative to Covid-19 after five players apparently breached their bio-security bubble, officials said Monday, as capacity at the Sydney Cricket Ground was slashed over coronavirus concerns.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The quintet -- Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini -- were filmed dining inside a Melbourne restaurant on New Year's Day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Australian state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, is battling to stem a cluster of virus cases tied to a wider outbreak in neighbouring New South Wales.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In response, authorities require restaurant-goers to dine outdoors and maintain social distancing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While the five were allowed to continue training, they were told to stay apart from the broader Indian squad, with the entire tour party tested on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indian cricket board, which has not said whether the five will be punished, Monday issued a brief statement giving them the all-clear for Covid-19.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Playing members of the Indian cricket team and support staff underwent a test for Covid-19 on January 3, 2021. All tests have returned negative results," it said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australia's team and staff were also tested and they too came back negative.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Both teams headed to Sydney Monday for the third Test starting Thursday, with the four-Test series level at 1-1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
They will play in front of a 25 percent capacity crowd -- around 10,000 - after it was slashed from 50 percent following a backlash on social media and from some experts, given the Covid situation in the city.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
There are currently an estimated 273 active cases in Australia, although many are travellers in quarantine.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It means all tickets will be refunded and fans must re-apply.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Tony Shepherd, head of Venues NSW which manages the stadium, said significant measures had been taken to ensure the safety of fans.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"There are extensive protocols being enacted for the upcoming Test, including increased cleaning, customer service and security staff, along with dedicated social distancing marshals," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The fourth and final Test is in Brisbane next week.<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2021\/01\/aus-vs-ind-india-cricketers-test-negative-after-bubble-breach.jpg", "alt_img": "image for cricket indian cricketers test negative ", "alt_title": "Rohit Sharma", "image1": "", "video": "", "seo_title": "Aus vs Ind: India Cricketers Test Negative After Bubble 'Breach' On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "India's team and support staff all tested negative to Covid-19 after five players apparently breached their bio-security bubble.", "seo_keywords": "India cricket news, India tour of Australia 2020-21, Rohit Sharma", "tag": "", "tagging": "India cricket news,India tour of Australia 2020-21,Rohit Sharma,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": "0", "slug": "aus-vs-ind-india-cricketers-test-negative-after-bubble-breach", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": "0000-00-00", "ians_time": "00:00:00", "server_time": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "trash": "0", "view_count": "2205", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2021-01-04 10:44:26", "updated": "2021-01-04 10:44:50", "img_from": "Rohit Sharma", "img_source": "", "schedule_publish": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "news_keywords": "Rohit Sharma, India, Australia, Aus vs Ind, Bubble Breach, Negative, Sydney", "livescore_text": "", "livescore_link": "", "btn_text": "", "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "21", "jio_date": "2021-01-04 10:44:26", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": "2021-01-04 10:44:26", "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/aus-vs-ind-india-cricketers-test-negative-after-bubble-breach-69622" }