BCCI Apex Council meet: England to play in India, Ahmedabad or Kolkata to host pink Test

By Baidurjo Bhose
Dubai [UAE], October 17 (ANI): The Apex Council of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) met virtually on Saturday and the three major areas of focus as per the agenda was the upcoming tour of Australia, England's visit post the Australia series and starting the Indian domestic season with an eye on the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to ANI, a BCCI official who was part of the meeting said that the board is very much looking at hosting England in India and bio-secure bubble will be created in three-four venues with the pink-ball Test either being played in Ahmedabad or Kolkata.
"The idea is to create bio-secure bubble across three to four venues as per permission from the government. The pink-ball Test will be held either in Ahmedabad or Kolkata. That call will be taken at the right time looking at the conditions. But yes, England is coming over to India," the official said.
Asked about the Australia series, the official said that the 14-day quarantine will happen as of now. One of the major areas of concern when it comes to the Australia series was the quarantine period that the Indian players need to undergo after moving to the country post the IPL in UAE.
While the Australian government had time and again hinted that there cannot be any relaxation, the BCCI has been requesting Cricket Australia to find a solution as the Indian players are already part of the bio-secure bubble due to the ongoing IPL.
"Looks like the quarantine phase will remain 14 days. The venues remain as it was and the itinerary has come in. We will be going directly from the UAE so the idea is to see if the quarantine period can be decreased. But as of now, doesn't look like," the official said.
The fate of the domestic season and the domestic cricketers is definitely something that still hangs in balance because creating individual bio-secure bubbles to host a complete Ranji Trophy season doesn't look feasible in the current scenario. Calls have been made to play out the Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament as that would be more convenient.
The official said they are looking at only Ranji Trophy and women's one-days at present. "This is a dicey situation as we need to be cautious with so many teams and players involved. As of now, we are looking at a January start with the Ranji Trophy and women's one-dayers being played. But we have to constantly monitor the situation before we get underway," the official said.
The 2018-2019 accounts of the BCCI was also approved in the meeting. (ANI)