Was The Last Test Cancelled Due To The IPL?
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
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By Slogger
First publised on 2021-09-14 12:36:48
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Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
The cancellation (with possible rescheduling) of the 5th Test between India and England at the last moment had raised many eyebrows but the buzz now is that the IPL might have had a hand in it. Several former England players, including David Gower, have said that the Indian players' wish to be ready for the IPL (they would have to be in the 6-day mandatory isolation in the UAE before entering the bubbles) might have played a part in their refusing to play the Test. Gower said that Virat Kohli wrote to the BCCI at midnight on the day before the Test indicating the unwillingness of the players to take the field. Since the Covid positive status of second physio Yogesh Parmar (first physio Nitin Patel had already isolated himself) was known much before that, Gower possibly questioned the late move.
But BCCI has clarified that after Parmar tested positive, the players realized that he was in constant touch with them and they did not want to risk taking the field after the exposure. The late missive to the board was probably due to the fact that the players were seriously debating the pros and cons of their action. But the quarantine facts are such that they will raise doubts. 14 bio bubbles have been set up in the UAE. All players have to quarantine for 6 days before they are allowed to enter the bubbles. The 5th Test was scheduled from September 10 to 14. The players would have reached UAE only on September 15. The IPL begins on September 19. Do the arithmetic.
Hence, despite the clarification from the BCCI, doubts will always remain about the real reason behind the Indian players' refusal to play the final Test match in England. The BCCI must also share a part of the blame for setting up such an itinerary. If it was known that 6-day quarantine was mandatory before entering the bio bubbles, why was the IPL scheduled just 4 days after the players could reach the UAE on completion of the last Test? Perhaps the BCCI had no option with the T20 World Cup scheduled immediately after the IPL. But better planning would have ensured that this unpleasant situation did not arise.
