The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is unlikely to allow spectators at Eden Gardens for the three T20Is against the West Indies, beginning February 16. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), however, is going ahead with its plans to print tickets for the matches.
The confusion arose after the state government on Monday gave its nod to all indoor and outdoor sports activities with 75 per cent capacity of the venues.
The BCCI’s reluctance stems from the fact that it doesn’t wish to take any risk keeping in mind the Covid-19 situation in the country. Various regulations have already been put in place for the limited-overs series.
“We don’t want to leave anything to chance. Since the ODIs in Ahmedabad are being held behind closed doors, the same should apply for Calcutta as well. It shouldn’t seem that Calcutta got any undue advantage by hosting the matches,” someone in the know of things said.
With seven members of Team India testing positive for Covid-19 in Ahmedabad, the BCCI is maintaining a cautious approach.
According to the original schedule, Calcutta was supposed to host the third ODI while the T20Is were supposed to be held in Cuttack, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram. With Ahmedabad and Calcutta now hosting the ODI and T20I legs, respectively, it might seem that Calcutta is gaining at the cost of other centres. The BCCI wants to put all such speculation to rest.
Senior officials from the BCCI might speak to the state government to clear the air on this issue.
The CAB, however, wants to be prepared in case spectators are allowed in the stadium. Sources revealed that 70 per cent of the tickets were given for printing last Sunday with five per cent more the day after. The ticket prices for the three T20Is have also been more or less fixed at Rs 650, Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500.
“We need time to make the necessary arrangements. If the BCCI permission comes late, then we will not have the required time to complete the sale and distribution of tickets,” a senior CAB official said.
Ahmedabad practice
The Indian squad began training for the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Thursday after the players and support staff’s RT-PCR tests came negative. The trio of Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer remain sidelined after returning positive in Covid-19 tests on Wednesday.
While Mayank Agarwal has joined the squad, he will only be available on the match day after a mandatory three-day quarantine. Ishan Kishan has also been included in the ODI squad. The three-match ODI series begins on Sunday.
