Sydney Test match 2021: CA contemplating conducting New Year’s Test vs India in Melbourne

New Year’s Test vs India: The third Test of the ongoing series continues to remain in limbo due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney.

The third Test of the ongoing India’s tour of Australia continues to remain under the scanner due to a sudden COVID-19 outbreak at the Northern Beaches in Sydney.

Originally scheduled to begin from January 7 in Sydney, the New Year’s Test is now in its search for an alternate venue. It was due to the same reason that there were concerns about India opening batsman Rohit Sharma, who is undergoing a mandatory quarantine period in Sydney.

While Cricket Australia had opened up on shortlisting alternatives provided the situation worsens in Sydney, they have now come up with a confirmed standby in the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Where will Australia play New Year’s Test vs India?

“We have always maintained that scheduling a full summer of cricket during a global pandemic would require agility, problem-solving and teamwork like never before,” Cricket Australia’s interim CEO Nick Hockley said in a statement.

“We continue to place the safety and well-being of everyone involved as our number one priority.

“The record testing numbers and the drop in new community transmissions in NSW have provided cause for optimism, however if the situation in Sydney deteriorates, we have strong contingency plans in place.”

With MCG as a confirmed alternative venue, the move further protects players from undergoing a potential quarantine period upon reaching Brisbane for the fourth Test. It is worth mentioning that the same has already affected participation of Australia A-bound BBL players in the ongoing BBL 10.

If the Test match gets played in Sydney, it will be an outcome of an improved COVID-19 situation. The same would obviously call for a relaxation in the rules on the part of the Queensland government.

Having said that, if the second and the third Test match gets played in Melbourne, it will be after decades that the MCG would host two Tests in an Australian summer and the SCG won’t host the New Year’s Test.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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