Australia 'fully expect' to play at the Gabba: Wade

Matthew Wade says Australia "fully expect" to play the fourth Test at the Gabba, following reports that India are concerned about having to play under quarantine conditions in Brisbane.

India have reportedly expressed concern about being forced into a hard quarantine on entry to Brisbane, claiming they'd rather the fourth Vodafone Test be played elsewhere.

Cricket Australia said on Sunday morning that they had not formally been approached over the matter, but the two national boards do talk daily.

"That’s the first I’ve heard of that to be honest," Wade told reporters on Sunday.

"We all knew we were going to get some curveballs and this is just one of them.

"The schedule has been rolled out and we’d prefer to stick to that.

"I would expect just to go to the Gabba regardless, (even) if that is more of a quarantine-based (situation), we fully expect to be going to Brisbane to play the Gabba Test."

The Australian and Indian teams are set to fly to Sydney on Monday to continue preparations for the third Test, before flying to Queensland for the fourth and final match.

Teams have so far been granted some freedoms during the tour, including being able to eat outdoors at venues and leave hotels.

However that is likely to change over the coming fortnight with the current border closures meaning members of the public cannot enter Queensland from Sydney without serving another two weeks in quarantine.

While harder restrictions will be in place in Sydney, Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley said last week Brisbane's Test would be played under "quarantine conditions".

It means teams will predominantly only be able to leave their hotels to train and play, as part of an exemption for them to cross the closed border from greater Sydney into Queensland.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the players would be confined to their hotel, but not to their individual hotel rooms. 

"We’ve worked with them that they can have bubbles within that hotel, because they’re going to be going and playing with colleagues in the matches, so they’re going to have exposure there," Dr Young said.

"So it doesn’t concern me if they have exposure to one another in the hotel. That’s absolutely fine.

"But they can’t leave the hotel and they can’t go out into the general community."

The Indian squad have spent an extended period in bubbles; having been part of the Indian Premier League bubble in the United Arab Emirates from September through to mid-November, before travelling to Australia, where they spent two weeks in quarantine in Sydney prior to the Dettol ODI series.

"If that’s what the Government are going to make us to do play a game at the Gabba, we’re willing to sacrifice," Wade said.

"I knew coming into it, and a lot of people knew coming into it, it wasn’t going to be an ideal situation and if something went south, we were going to have to make some more sacrifices along the way.

"As a group we understand that and we’re ready for the challenge."

The Gabba Test is seen as crucial to Australia's chances with the series currently locked at 1-1, given they have not been beaten at the ground since 1988.

India did not play a Test in Brisbane on their successful tour two seasons ago, a point that was not lost on Australian captain Tim Paine in the aftermath.

"Our record is very good there and we tend to play good cricket there," Wade said of the Gabba.

"Two games back-to-back at the SCG would not be something we’d want to do, we’d be much more comfortable playing the schedule (as planned), there’s no secret we love the Gabba and we want to get there."

Meanwhile it comes as both Cricket Australia and the BCCI investigate whether five of India's players broke biosecurity protocols in Melbourne on Friday.

A video on social media appeared to show Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini eating inside a restaurant.

Players and staff within team hubs must sit outside when dining away from their hotel, as part of the sport's strict protocols that have allowed the summer to go ahead.

The quintet have been separated from the rest of India's squad, however they will be able to continue training.

Any penalties would be determined by the BCCI, while Cricket Australia handed down fines to two Brisbane Heat players last month for similar breaches.

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: India won by eight wickets

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT