The Indian cricket team could lose some of its top batsmen ahead of the third Test beginning January 7 in Sydney. This comes after five Indian players were put in isolation for alleged breach of Cricket Australias bio-security protocols.

Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini put in isolation after both the Australian and Indian cricket boards launched an investigation into a video showing them sitting indoors in a restaurant. India could end up being short on batting options for the third Test if the five players don't come out of isolation.

With the period of isolation for the five not yet clear, there are doubts over India's combination for the third Test. And assuming if one out of them tests positive for Covid-19 due to the alleged breach of protocols, none of the five or even those players who came in contact with them will play the third Test. In that case, the entire squad could have to go through a round of testing and put in isolation.

The five players have been asked to train separately from the rest of the squad. Meanwhile, Sydney has seen a spurt in cases recently with some of its areas, including those 30-odd km away from the Sydney Cricket Ground.