Virat Kohli Sent Letters To BCCI At Midnight, Day Before 5th Test, David Gower

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Wednesday, 15th September 2021

Former England captain David Gower claimed in an interview with Cricket.com that the events that led to the cancellation of the Manchester Test require more explanation, stating that skipper Virat Kohli submitted letters to the Indian board at midnight the day before the match. The fifth Test was postponed due to a Covid epidemic among the Indian team. "Wow! No one, least of all myself, could have predicted that. It takes us to places we've never been before "The doorway was informed by Gower.

"I mean, I know other matches have been called off due to a few balls bowled and various other circumstances," he added. "But to have it called off at the last minute - Virat Kohli sending letters to the BCCI at midnight the day before - the whole sequence of events needs to be explained a little bit better."

Many thought that the restart of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 had had a role in the match's cancellation after it was called off at Old Trafford.

If the IPL is linked to the cancellation, Gower believes the fans will be disappointed.

"The worrying thing for me is that if the IPL was so closely linked to this, then that is very disappointing to me because... I mean, I don't want to sound old and crusty, but for all those people like me, and dare I say, Virat... the last time he was in England, he made a big point about how important Test match cricket is to him," Gower said.

Also Read: India Records Below 30,000 Fresh Covid-19 Cases for Third Consecutive Day

After arriving in Dubai, Virat Kohli made his first comments on the cancelled Test, telling the RCB website: "Unfortunately, we arrived early, but things are quite uncertain now that Covid is in place, so anything can happen at any time. Hopefully, we can maintain a stable, secure climate here and have a good IPL, followed by the World Cup. So, when we enter the T20 phase, I believe it will be an exciting and crucial time for us at RCB, as well as for the Indian squad at the World Cup."

Meanwhile, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly dismissed suggestions that the IPL played a role in the cancellation of the 5th Test, saying on Monday that players were reluctant to take the field after second physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive.

"The BCCI will never be an irresponsible organisation. Other boards are also important to us "When asked if the IPL played an influence in the cancellation of the fifth Test, Ganguly responded no.

"You can't blame the players for refusing to play. Yogesh Parmar, the physiotherapist, was in constant communication with the players. He interacted freely with the players and even did their COVID-19 tests because he was the only one accessible after Nitin Patel sequestered himself "Ganguly went on to say.

Following the cancellation, the BCCI offered the England board the opportunity to reschedule the cancelled Test.

"The BCCI has offered the ECB a rescheduling of the cancelled Test match due to the excellent relationship between the two organisations. Both boards will endeavour to locate a time when this Test match may be rescheduled "In a statement, the BCCI said.

The News Talkie Bureau

Source

NDTV