Amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia later this year is also in jeopardy. It still remains hazy how the Future Tours Program will shape up when cricket resumes. Incidentally, the deadly virus has halted all the cricketing actions across the length and breadth of the globe.
India is scheduled to play three T20I matches in October followed by four Tests and three one-dayers starting from November. The Test series will be pivotal with the inaugural edition of the ICC Test Championship in view. Currently, Virat Kohli & Co leads the chart with 360 points followed by Australia.
Read More: Den Of Match-Fixing Is In India, Claims Aaqib Javed
Cricket Australia (CA) is pondering every possible way to host the series. Otherwise, it will be a massive jolt on their revenue earning considering that India series generates a lot of money. Speaking in an interview to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) treasurer Arun Dhumal has said that India are willing to take all the protection measures in order to play out the bilateral series.
“There is no choice – everyone will have to do that. You would want to resume the cricket,” he said.
“Two weeks is not that long a lockdown. That would be ideal for any sportsman because when you are in quarantine for such a long period, then going to another country and having a two-week lockdown it would be a good thing to do. We’ll have to see what the norms are post this lockdown,” he added.
Read More: Aakash Chopra Picks His Squad For ICC T20 World Cup 2020
Meanwhile, CA had earlier floated the idea of playing five Test matches instead of four. Although Arun Dhumal didn’t rule out the chances, he admitted that it will be preferable to play more limited-over games than red-ball cricket.
“Once we are sure when cricket will resume, then only will we be able to make a final call on that,” he said. “That discussion [on five Tests] took place before the lockdown. If there is a window available it would be up to the boards to decide whether they wanted to go for a Test match or maybe two ODIs or maybe two T20s.
Given the revenue loss they will have on account of lockdown, post-lockdown they will want to have revenue and revenue most likely will come from ODIs or T20s much more than a Test match,” Arun signed off.
