Indian Team's National Camp At Motera Ahead Of IPL 13 Highly Unlikely Due To Worsening Covid-19 Scenario

There were initial reports that the BCCI is likely to hold a national camp somewhere between August and September with the purpose of getting back cricketers to training and conditioning them well ahead of India's international engagements which are scheduled to take place later in the year., which included the tour to Australia.

Amidst the alarming surge in the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths all across the nation, BCCI's national trraining camp proposed to be staged at the rebuilt Motera Stadium at Ahmedabad is unlikely to be held before the commencement of the thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League, factoring into account the health and safety of the cricketers.

There were initial reports that the BCCI is likely to hold a national camp somewhere between August and September with the purpose of getting back cricketers to training and conditioning them well ahead of India's international engagements which are scheduled to take place later in the year., which included the tour to Australia.

However the training camp plan slated to be held between August and September seems to have taken a hit with the Covid-19 scenario worsening in the nation and hence there could be a high possibility that all the centrally contracted cricketers including the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari (who don't compete in the Indian Premier League), will be joining their respective IPL teams training camp in Dubai from the start.

While BCCI Apex Council finalized on the state-of-the-art Sardar Patel Motera Stadium for the national team's conditioning camp, the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) is yet to get any formal intimation from the BCCI.



"There were media reports that camp will start from August 18 and go on till September 4 but we have no formal intimation from the BCCI till now," a GCA official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Sources placed close to BCCI also revealed to news agency PTI that there has been discussions on the issue that players travelling multi city -- from their homes to Ahmedabad and then Dubai -- can expose themselves to more health risk in this present scenario and it's only fitting that camp is put on hold for the time being.

"In any case, where is the logic of doing a red ball camp before IPL when they are playing a completely different format," a senior IPL franchise official said.

It might well be that a jumbo Indian squad might start their training in earnest after IPL once they reach Australia.