Ind vs Aus: No plan B in sight, looking to play fourth Test at Brisbane, says Lyon

Jan 03, 2021

Melbourne [Australia], January 4 : Australia spinner Nathan Lyon on Monday said that there has been no official confirmation from Cricket Australia regarding the fourth Test against India at Brisbane and he is looking forward to playing his 100th match in the longest format at the Gabba.
Australia and India will face each other in the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 and then both sides will travel to Brisbane for the fourth Test, set to begin from January 15. However, as per a report in Cricbuzz, India has expressed their unwillingness to travel to Brisbane for the fourth Test if they are confined to their hotel rooms when they are not playing or training.
"To be honest, I am not thinking about plan B or not playing at the Gabba. I for 100 per cent think that we are going to Brisbane for the fourth Test and we are preparing for that. Regarding quarantine protocols, I know that people from both the groups have been in a bubble for next to six months now, but in my eyes, it is a very small sacrifice for us to play the game that we love and put a smile on the faces of people throughout the world," said Lyon while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference on Monday.
"In my eyes, we just have to suck it up and get on with it and play cricket for our respective countries and it is on us to make sure that we are playing a competitive brand of cricket," he added.
When quizzed further about the Brisbane Test, Lyon said: "100 per cent planning on going to Brisbane, we have heard nothing as players and we are sticking with plan A. We are travelling to Sydney today and hopefully, we will get the result there that we are after and then we plan to head to Brisbane. To be honest, I am not really worried about what's being reported, it is for us to worry about what we can control, it's just about us making sure that we are very well prepared, everyone keeps on talking about Brisbane Test, but there is a massive Test ahead of that in Sydney in just a couple of days and that's where our focus lies for now."
Cricket Australia on Saturday said that Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, and Navdeep Saini have been put in isolation as a precautionary measure after these five players were seen eating at an indoor venue in Melbourne on New Year's Day.
"To be honest with you, it has all been okay in my eyes, we just need to suck it up and get on with it, people make mistakes and we get that, it is about making sure what's happening and be prepared for the next Test, we need to listen to the advice of the medical people, to be honest with you, just suck it up and get on with it, and stop complaining," said Lyon.
With reports coming in that the Indian squad is not too keen to travel to Queensland if strict quarantine protocols need to be followed, the state's Health Shadow Minister Ros Bates also said that rules need to be followed. Also, Queensland's Shadow Sports Minister Tim Mander said that "same rules must apply for everyone", adding that the Indian team should not come if they do not want to abide by the rules.
Cricket Australia on Wednesday had informed that the hosts will train in Melbourne on January 2 and 3 before moving to Sydney on January 4. The third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Test Series between India and Australia will be telecasted Live and Exclusive on Sony Six, Sony Ten 3 (Hindi), and Sony Ten 1 channels from January 7, 2020, 5.00 am onwards.
India had levelled the four-match series against Australia after securing an eight-wicket win in the Boxing Day Test.