The fifth and final Test between India and England in Manchester was cancelled earlier this month after a COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp, with the visitors leading the series 2-1 at that point. With head coach Ravi Shastri having already tested positive in the previous Test at the Oval and having gone into isolation with fellow support staff members, the emergence of a new positive case in Manchester eventually saw the match being cancelled, with the BCCI later saying it would discuss with its English counterparts the possibility of rescheduling of the match.
Former England pacer Darren Gough, however, wasn't very impressed with India's conduct during the entire episode and said he was "annoyed" by what he perceived as negligent attitude by the visiting team.
Speaking to former Australia cricketers Glenn McGrath and Brendon Julian in Fox Sports Australia's podcast "Road to the Ashes", Gough criticised the behaviour of the Indian players prior to the cancelled Manchester Test.
"I didn't see it (cancellation) coming; no, not at all. I mean, I get the bubble life, I get mental health and I get all of that one hundred per cent. My wife works in that field, so I one hundred per cent get it," Gough said.
"But what after the Oval Test? They broke protocol of bubble life, went to the book launch (of head coach Shastri), wherever it may be. They were that concerned about it, they all jumped on public transport, on the train from London to Manchester," he added.
"They got to Manchester; few of them went out shopping before the Test match. What annoyed me about it was to cancel the Test match when people had already gone to Manchester to watch the game. I thought it was out of order."
Gough added that the Indian players would have wanted to play the IPL from the very start -- the second half of the IPL 2021 season resumes in the UAE on Sunday.
"We all know what it was about. The IPL is a great tournament, same as the other tournaments around the world -- the PSL, the Big Bash -- they are great tournaments. But they talk about bubble life and being stuck in one place at one time. They have gone over to Dubai now. They are doing six days' hard quarantine," Gough remarked.
"Then they are in the bubble of the IPL for another four weeks. Then they have got the World Cup bubble and then they have got New Zealand coming as well for another bubble," added the 51-year-old former cricketer.
"So I just think it was a case of getting out of there. They wanted to play in the IPL from the very, very start. I have no problem with that but it's the fans that for me are the ones again who get done."