Team India pass three rounds of Covid-19 testing; to train from tomorrow before 1st Test

IND vs ENG: Spectators up to 50% of seating capacity to be allowed in 2nd Chennai Test

There are good chances of spectators returning to cricket stadiums in the upcoming series between India and England with the union government and the Tamil Nadu government issuing fresh SOPs regarding the containment of the novel coronavirus in Chennai, where the first two Tests of the series are scheduled to be hosted. Although there is very little time left to make arrangements in the M.A. Chidambaram stadium in terms of Covid-19 protocols before the first Test scheduled to start on February 05, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) is all ready to host crowds in the second Test starting on February 13. "There is little time to make arrangements for spectators entry for the first Test so the crowd cannot be allowed. Though the gap between the two Tests is only three days, we are confident that arrangements can be made for (50 per cent) fans in the second Test keeping the safety norms in mind," news agency PTI quoted an unnamed TNCA official as saying. However, the number of people allowed to the stadium at Chepauk will be restricted to half of the seating capacity of the stadium which is 50,000. "We discussed the issue of allowing spectators for second India vs England Test following fresh COVID-19 guidelines by the Central government permitting crowds at sporting venues and also the state government's SOPs given on Sunday," the official added. "It has been decided by the BCCI and TNCA to allow 50 per cent spectators for the second Test by following all safety protocols." Meanwhile, there are reports about the discussion between the BCCI and the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) over allowing spectators to the third and fourth Test at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera. The stadium in Motera has the seating capacity of 1,10,000 and allowing spectators up to 50 per cent of the capacity will be double the number of people reported to be allowed in Chennai and hence the permission to host a crowd in the second Test can also be seen as the precursor to the third and fourth Test.

BBL10: Challenger shifted to Manuka Oval after Covid-19 lockdown in Perth

A snap lockdown in Perth and the changes in rules of hotel quarantine has forced the Big bash League Challenger game between Perth Scorchers and Brisbane Heat to be hosted at Manuka Oval in Canberra, which was scheduled to be hosted at the Optus in Perth. The match as per the hosting rights formula of BBL as to be hosted by Perth as it finished in the top two of the BBL table. Alistair Dobson, said, the Head of the Big Bash Leagues said that he is thankful to the Scorchers team and fans for understanding the situation and moving the match from Perth to Canberra. "The League would like to extend its best wishes to all BBL fans in Perth, particularly those Scorchers fans who were hoping to see their team in action this Thursday, following the announcement of a hard lockdown by the WA Government,” he said. “We support all governments across Australia in their efforts to manage the ongoing public health situation and wish Western Australia all the best in managing these latest developments,” he added wishing the best to the government in Western Australia. The final will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground as the Sixers won the Qualifier to make it to the finals and win the rights to host the tournament. Dobson also thanked the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) administration for their support in staging important games at the capital Canberra. “This has been an unprecedented BBL season and the ongoing flexibility and cooperation have been vital in getting us to this point of the Finals series,” he said.

BCCI considering to organise Vijay Hazare Trophy from Feb 18: Report

The domestic one-dayer competition Vijay Hazare Trophy has been scheduled to take off from February 18, according to a report by Cricbuzz. The report further stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering to organise the tournament across the same venues where the Sydne Mushtaq Ali Trophy has been organised recently, except for Chennai and Ahmedabad—where the international Test series between India and England is scheduled to take place. Just on the similar lines to that of domestic T20 competition, all of the 38 teams will be divided into six clusters while all teams in one cluster will be playing in one city before moving on to the city where knockout matches will be played. The BCCI has zeroed in on Mumbai, Baroda, Kolkata, Indore, Bangalore and a venue in Kerala for the league matches while there is lack of clarity on venues for knockout games. But Ahmedabad which hosted the knockout phase of the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament will be out of contention as the Indian and English team will be playing the last two Tests of the series followed by a five-match T20Is series.

Virat Kohli can surpass Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar in Test series against England

When the Indian team will take the field against England in the upcoming Test series, skipper Virat Kohli will be on the verge of many milestones in his career. Kohli had dominated the last home series in England in 2016 and he will be eager to repeat his batting form come the February 05 when the first Test is scheduled to begin at the M.A.Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. Kohli is at the number sixth position among the Indian batsmen who have scored more runs against the Englishmen on Indian soil and if he starts the series in great nick he can surpass many on the list that includes the batting greats such as Sachin Tendulkar, Vijay Manjrekar, Gundappa Viswanath. Kohli has a real chance to go as far as the top of the list of the run-getters which is currently dominated by Sunil Gavaskar who has amassed 1331 runs in 22 matches, while Kohli has 843 runs from nine games against England at home. Notably, Cheteshwar Pujara does not lag far behind Kohli in terms of the number of runs against England at home and has scored 839 runs in 9 matches. Kohli will be making his comeback as he was out on paternity leave during the latter half of the Test series against Australia and he will be eager to get back in the groove from the first Test. In the last Test he played against Australia in Adelaide, he looked in good touch and only a run-out could deny him a century in the opening Test of the series.