 Hello, let's talk about the controversy over the Indian cricket team and the bio bubble. The New Year has begun and there's no shortage of controversies. One such controversy is over a report about some members of the Indian cricket team going to restaurant in Australia. As we know the Indian team won the second test in Australia and these players were at restaurant. A fan saw them, posted a picture of them. There was some controversy over whether they had broken the bio bubble and stepped out and whether they had broken the rules. Now Indian cricket officials of course have said that this is not the case and there's no investigation. But this has thrown open a larger discussion about sport during the time of COVID-19 of course, the question of following the rules and also discussions on the nature of bio bubbles itself, the kind of challenges they face but also the fact that players nonetheless are supposed to stick to the rules and follow those rules because otherwise the whole sport could be, the whole game itself could be in danger. We talked to Leslie Xavier of Newsclick on some of these issues. Thank you Leslie for joining us. So the New Year has begun and there's no shortage of controversies as usual in the world of sport. And the latest one of course, one of the latest ones of course being that of the Indian cricket team in Australia, the whole story around five cricket players supposedly breaking the bio bubble. Now this has been denied by the Indian authorities and there's been a lot of drama and debate about that. A lot of commentary about that. So the bio bubble is actually a very interesting thing. We have been talking about it quite often on this show. But before we get into that, your thoughts on this specific episode and for that matter, the controversies around New Year. Well, nothing changes. It's just a change of the date but otherwise life moves on in Indian sport, all the more say the same. So today happens to be the Supreme Court hearing for the All India Football Federation, if I had approached the Supreme Court for directives on whether to conduct or not conduct elections considering the pandemic. This morning I woke up to a press release from the chess federation, one of the chess federation officials, saying that online elections for the chess federation was not fair and they are planning to approach sport and challenge the mandate. And these are just the first two. I mean, so politically charged Indian sport atmosphere continues. And on Sunday, yesterday we published a exclusive story on how motorsports federation in the last 49 years of its existence, they had perpetuated it. But what legal experts believe is a fraud. One existent club representative was there in the epic council for the last 49 years. And yeah, so that's New Year for you in Indian sport. Yeah, and they carry forward from last year I would say because this incident happened on the on USA, the first of December, where these five players decided to try Rohit Sham, of course, the senior most player so I squarely put the responsibility of on him went out for to for dinner and a fan caught them on camera. The fan in fact paid the bill he claims, and then it just created the controversy as you know. So, I mean, is there a controversy that's the biggest debate after that, because I mean, it's a lab. A lot of other rules are different for different tournaments for sure. And also, it's apparently stretchable in places like Australia where cases are less so Australia is right now panicking because of the new COVID-19 strain that has come out and they discovered a couple of cases there. So, yesterday's total number of cases in Australia is 21. So that's, I mean, if you compare that to India and it's no reason for panic but it's it's well and truly good that the government is very serious about it and they're just taking PMP measures to ensure that it doesn't cluster out into a major outbreak. It is in this situation that the so called breach of breach of protocol happened in the in the Indian team. So they, I mean, one of the rules of the bio bubble is that in Australia they are allowed to go out taking prior permission taking precautions going to restaurants which are considered safe zone, safe zones and and they are expected to eat out not inside a confined space not within the restaurant building but outside if there is a dining area outside you can sit there and be out in the open that's as simple as that. So these players were caught in the video sitting inside and dining. So that's, that's, that's in, in basic sense that this is a breach of protocol but DCCI or I mean it's not attributed to any of the officials by name but many officials and team officials and sources and all that I've spoken out saying that it's not a breach of protocol as per their book. Now, which book should, should, should a team follow when they are in a particular country. Of course it should be the book written by the host so their rules stipulate that it's a breach but then I believe that there is an understanding that has come between cricket Australia and because it's an important series and one can't compromise that the matches have to happen because it's monetarily financially and also for in the cricketing sense also it's an important series and it should get completed. So that's the whole idea that both the boards I think I've reached, reached the understanding that we will diffuse the situation in a way which doesn't breach common protocols for Australia as well and also doesn't antagonize DCCI or its star players. So they were, these five players were put into separate quarantine, they were training alone, the test came out as per reports in the morning, last night, tests are negative, so they are clear and that's, that's a blessing in itself. And now they are getting ready for the 15th test, which starts on the 7th. And there is this another, I mean, so the biggest irony or biggest, I mean, if you call it a joke of the entire episode is certain board officials be or team officials being quoted as saying that these are part of Australia's mind games as far as because they lost a match and they're trying to, so after the first match where India famously got out for 36 runs and then Koli left for his paternity leave. So Australia were considered to be in the driving seat but in that discussion as well post that match we were very clear that Australia is also not in the prime of health if you ask, if you look at their batting performances, even in the first match which they won. So that was exposed in the second match and India, I mean, commendably they played really well and the Ajinkarayana and came back into the series. So after that loss, the, with this episode happening, the larger narrative that's been trying to push by the Indian team and the people around the Indian team or the Indian board is that Australia media and are creating unnecessary controversies so that our players get affected in the mind. So this is a game that they are pulling. I seriously doubt that because a breach is a breach and they were out caught on camera. It's not like they are Australian media's typing sources or whatever that saying that these players were outside and according to our sources they mingled with fans and all that but they were there. And it's just, I mean, lucky enough that nothing happened out of it because cases are less so apparently the restaurant where they were dining and couple of establishments beyond that a building was sealed on the same day. And so that takes us to this last and final test which is going to happen in Brisbane after the Sydney test. And as well, the current situation, the Australian state government, I mean, in that sense, the nature of this pandemic is that no area is clean unless you have to be very careful all the time. So it takes us to this last and final test which is going to happen in Brisbane after the Sydney test. And as well, the current situation, the Australian state governments are very strict about border crossing. So if you're crossing state borders also you are supposed to go into self quarantine. So when the teams travel from Sydney to Brisbane, as per rules, they are supposed to go into hard quarantine like the way they did when they entered the country. So that was 14 days. I'm not sure whether 14 days would be required as per rule here. The Health Minister of New South Wales have stated that India have to play by the rules. And cricket Australia is trying to tweak it a little bit so that it can be avoided. And so that situation is playing on another side. Again, so that shows you how serious this country where you are playing, where India is playing is about all these rules. So to cite the news breaking out and going after people who broke the news saying that this is wrong. I mean, this is how narratives get played out even in India for any solid piece of news that come out. Always go behind the journalists, always go behind motives of the journalist, question the motives. Are you anti-national? Are you this? Are you that? So that's the same thing that's been played out here. And that's, I mean, that's unfortunate. I hope that India continue this series, the last two series and they win the series, winning the last two matches. But just don't stoop down to a level where you blame a leaf turning to Australian mind games. That's not real sporting spirit. And it's 2021 and let's start on a spirited note that way. Absolutely. Right. So Leslie, in this context, I also wanted to ask you about bio bubbles themselves in sport because it's been quite a few months since this has become common practice now. It's been tested in various formats across the world, various methodologies of doing it as well. So right now, as far as especially sporting events are concerned, where do you think we've reached with how bio bubbles are organized? And even now I presume there is really some kind of an impact in, could you maybe talk a bit about that as well? So the impact of bio bubbles is coming out slowly and surely that way. And bio bubble, the prolonged bio bubble is more or less being practiced by countries like India that way. So our first bio bubble was the Indian Premier League in the UAE. And right now in the country, there are two bio bubbles happening. One is the Indian Super League in Goa and the other one is the I League. The tournament is starting on the 9th of this month and the bio bubble was convened, set up for all the teams from the 26th of last month, since December. And we have two of our correspondents inside the bio bubble in Kolkata, Siddharthani and Vaibhav Raghunam. And then both of them are attached, are part of the contingent for the UAFC. Basically we are, but the idea is to experience the whole thing and also cover I League as much as possible within the constraints. So being a media person inside, they are technically non-media persons that way, because all India Football Federation has not given out media accreditation for this. So media interactions, media press conferences, all these things happen online. So these guys will have to sit in their rooms or within whatever stipulated vicinity and do those questioning, answering, etc. But the difference for them is that they can stay with whatever, whichever team that they're attached to, they can stay in the team hotel, they can travel with the team for training, they can travel with the team for the matches. So that in itself is a big deal because it opens up to a larger understanding because right now whatever the understanding that we are having are from outside it and nothing comes out of this bio bubble. So bio bubbles, in essence, have been used by the organizers for securing the players for sure, but at the same time they are using it to control the narrative news that comes out of it also. It's a win-win situation for them both ways. So we are not seeking controversies there, but we are seeking a larger understanding of how these things play out. So, as for Viber who landed there much before on the 26th itself with the team, Siddharth just recently landed, day before he landed. So it's quite taxing even, I mean he has been there for what, close to 10 days now, and it's already taxing because the first 10 days was critical that way because they were confined to their rooms. They were not even allowed to step out into the corridor unless two or three negative test results happened. So the first test happened on the second day of their arrival, then on the sixth day, then on the ninth day and now they are out. Today Viber was out in the training ground with the team. So that initial days were getting adjusted to, so everybody is in some kind of a lockdown at home or even for the club players who are involved, they were in lockdown in their training facilities, club facilities or wherever they were together before entering the iLeague Biobuble. But once you enter there, you understand that the protocols, it's new protocols because it's the organizers decision how to employ. So they have their own set of staff who are there and so I mean it's the larger emotion that came out talking to these guys as well as their understanding talking to players who are there is that nobody knows what is working, what is not working. They just know that these set rules are there which needs to be implemented. It's blind following of what is written as the rule. So that is one aspect and the second aspect is the constant, I mean small, small things that you take for granted just walking into the corridor. I mean if you are staying in a 5-star hotel, fine, but you get sick off the 4 walls of a 5-star hotel in no time. You are amazed, Viber himself was amazed that how easily one gets tired of this luxury, so-called luxury. So starting from small things like diet, what do you have because there is a set menu especially the first 10 days and of course you are free to order in. But ordering in from 5-star hotels is not exactly feasible for journalists nor for football players of the ILE. Maybe the ISL players are much better off, cricket players are definitely more better off, that's why they can even go out and eat if they want to. So starting with diet requirements, small things because these guys are athletes so they need to train. So they are having some kind of video conferencing session happening where they train within their room. So it was not happening because frustrations were starting already in the first 4-5 days. And now with them going out and training, it's probably now it's a bit of fresh air, quite literally. But then comes the other part of it. Now the matches will start, losses, victories, injuries, niggles, this, that. And you are talking about the 3-month tournament which is for ILE. And 3-months is a long enough time, one week itself feels like a lifetime, that's what they have been saying. So it's bound to creep up to you at some point and frustrations. So nothing, like I said, in the ISL also or in the ISL which has been in the bio bubble for one and a half months now, now ILE is just started. So nothing, we don't understand how the players, what has happened if there were outbursts. Of course something or the other would have happened but that kind of understanding, I guess all the teams have team psychologists and all that these days. So they might be working with these players to help them, make them cope with this better, all these things. But once the bubble is out and the players are out and then they start talking to people, media, then only we will realize what the larger long-term impact of being in a bio bubble like this is going to happen. And now going back to Australia and the Indian team, so I mean almost all of this play, almost everyone in fact, where I've been in on the bio bubble, one bio bubble, all the other for the last five months or so. First it was the IPL and then many of these players went directly from the IPL to Australia, from UAE to Australia. Some of them came back to India to work on injuries and all that including Rohit Sharma and then went back. So five, one, six months being in a bubble, it's difficult. And so there are two ways in which organizers have been approaching tournaments or competitions. One is giving the owners on the team or the players to do the testing, do the quarantining and all that. And before match or before the tournament they would do a test, negative results or once a week they would do the test, negative results means the team or the player is allowed to get into. So this is how the leagues work because it's completely, I mean leagues in Europe, not the Indian leagues because the Indian leagues are shorter in duration in any case. The foreign leagues we are talking about 10 months of action. So that is one methodology that's been working so it's, I feel that that is easier on the psyche of the players than a full fleshed bio bubble where you are practically jailed in, in a luxury hotel. And then you are, I mean, technically working as slaves on the football field. So that's much more harder on the players, on the people involved. Having said that, the other side is how responsible would a player be or a team be ensuring that they are safe. They are keeping themselves safe because the larger responsibility is that 11 players of a football team, play 11 players of another team, a case or two asymptomatic cases, or whatever, if that really leads to a cluster or a spreading event. Then it just, I mean, the impact is huge on that tournament on the team and on a larger scale on Indian sport. So that makes me worried because this is another piece that we published in the first piece of New Year, where among the national championships wrestling is what is going to start first. 21st and 24th is the men's freestyle tournament that's happening in Noida after that followed that by by the end of the month, there will be a women's tournament in Agra and early next month there will be a Decoroman men's tournament in Punjab. So they are following the second system where teams are expected, individuals are expected to test themselves, come with a negative result, which is done within 72 hours of the match of their arrival. And then they are allowed entry into the competition. There's a risk to that because I mentioned in that story also that Kerala team would be traveling testing before boarding the train, traveling two days reaching here with that test result which is negative, but the train journey can create problems. So, I mean, we have to restart at some point that's the emotion that everybody's eyes spoke to, I say, but one has to be very careful. I mean, the implications are huge. Health plus on sport, on the economics involved, everything. So, that's the larger understanding I believe that the cricket team should have because they're in Australia and they're also trying to protect what they can and what they have. So, just blaming it on on previous things like you're playing a mind game, it's immature to say the least. Absolutely. Thank you so much for talking to us.