BCCI likely to approve India's tour of South Africa after assurance from Cricket South Africa

India’s tour of South Africa is likely to get a go-ahead from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as it is ready to accept assurances from Cricket South Africa over the sanctity of biosecure bubble and safety of players on the tour, PTI reported.

As per the initial schedule, India and South Africa were to play two Test matches in Johannesburg, the largest city of the Gauteng province, where there was the emergence of Covid-19 cases due to a new variant named Omicron.

However, India A tour of South Africa continued despite threats arising from the Omicron variant of the virus and it showed BCCI was willing to believe in CSA’s assurances.

“We are going to South Africa and that’s confirmed,” PTI quoted a senior BCCI official as saying. “The information we received is that the bio-bubble created by CSA is safe and secured. Also, there hasn’t been a lot of data available as of now as to how severe and detrimental it could be. Also, we have not received any communication from the government on not going ahead with the tour.

Indian players were to assemble in Mumbai and enter the biosecure bubble before flying to the rainbow nation. However, all those plans can be rescheduled as boards have agreed to curtail the length of the tour and it is likely to start with the Boxing Day Test from December 26 than the first scheduled starting date of December 17.

The report suggested that Indian players will be transferred from one bubble that will be in place in India to the one maintained by CSA in South Africa.

“The team will enter the bubble shortly and travel by a charter flight. Even if there is a delay, it will be a bubble to bubble transfer and hence no hard quarantine will be required,” the official said further.