BCCI could allow 50% crowd attendance for India-England Tests
There is some good news for Indian cricket fans as the BCCI is contemplating allowing 50% crowd attendance for the Tests against England. The four-Test series sees two matches each being played at the Chepauk in Chennai and the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. The BCCI is set to take a cue from Cricket Australia who allowed the entry of spectators in the Australia-India series.
A senior BCCI official told PTI that the board is likely to allow 50% spectators for the four-Test series and is in talks with state cricket associations and health authorities. "As of now, we are likely to allow 50% spectators for the four-Test matches. The BCCI is in talks with both state cricket associations (TNCA and GCA) and also state health authorities," he said.
The report adds that the BCCI is also considering the fluid public health situation due to the coronavirus pandemic and if the numbers keep increasing in either Chennai or Ahmedabad, then the decision will change accordingly. "If you allow 50% crowd with all necessary precautions, then it will be an indicator if we can also allow spectators during IPL in India," the source said.
On Tuesday, the BCCI named an 18-member Indian squad for the first two Tests against England. And now, England are likely to name a squad for the first two Tests as well. As per reports, this is the first time that a touring team is not naming a squad for full away series keeping the workload management of its players in mind.
Both Chennai and Ahmedabad will have two separate bio-bubbles and the teams will travel by chartered flight within the country. There will also be a bio-bubble in Pune for the ODI series. Notably, this will be the first international series held in India in well over a year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Besides the bubble, there will be a vacuum-sealed environment in place.
First Test, February 5-9 - Chennai. Second Test, February 13-17 - Chennai. Third Test (Day-Night), February 24-28 - Ahmedabad. Fourth Test, March 4-8 - Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, all five T20Is will be held in Ahmedabad. They will be played on March 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 respectively. The three ODIs will be played in Pune on March 23, 26, and 28 respectively.
Team India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur.
