ZIM vs PAK | 2nd Test - Abid Ali hits maiden double ton without hitting a single six

WTC Final: Indian team to get into bio-bubble on May 25, families to travel with players

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has come up with its plans to get the Indian cricket team ready for its sojourn to England which will include a total of six Tests being played over the course of almost three months. The Board is considering allowing families of the players to travel to England as well. Indian players selected for the tour along with the four stand-bys would get into a pre-tour bubble, which would be created on May 25 in India only. "You can expect the boys to come into the bubble on May 25 as it will be an 8-day quarantine period which will not just involve testing against COVID-19, but also there will not be any movement as the boys prepare for the UK schedule," an official close to BCCI was quoted as saying to ANI. On reaching England on June 2, the team would further undergo 10-day quarantine, only this time they would be allowed to train as the simultaneous testing continues. The Indian team will face New Zealand in the World Test Championship Final from June 18 onwards at Rose Bowl, Southampton. Reasoning that the players’ movement in England would be restricted and the stay is very long, the official felt that’s why the families need to travel with players. "The Covid-19 restrictions also mean you cannot move around the place,” he said. “There will be more than a month`s gap between the Test Championship final and the opening Test against England in Trent Bridge from August 4," the official added. The board is also concerned about the vaccination of the players and feels that at least the first dose of vaccine can be administered to the Men in Blue. "The Indian government has opened vaccination for every person above 18 so the players can take their first dose,” said the official. But with the second does in question, BCCI is looking at working closely with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to ensure that a path is created to administer the second does to Indian players in the UK. “Players can get a second dose in the UK if that is not approved by the UK government, we will have the vaccine taken from India for the second dose. Let`s see how that works out in the coming days," he said.

IPL 2021: WTC stand-by Prasidh Krishna becomes 4th KKR player to test Covid-19 positive

Kolkata knight Rider pacer Prasidh Krishna has tested positive for Covid-19. The pacer was picked as a stand-by for India’s World Test Championship Final squad on Friday, May 7. With this, KKR now have four players from the IPL 2021 camp who have tested positive. Earlier today, new Zealand batsman was the third KKR player to test positive after Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier. “He is down with Covid-19, the results have come in and he tested positive,” a source close to the development was quoted as saying to ANI. Krishna, 25, clocked great pace during the IPL and was considered as one of the bright prospects for India’s England tour, although he was not picked in the main squad. The Karnataka pacer picked eight wickets in seven games before IPL was suspended due to rising Covid-19 cases in the Bio-bubble. He has so far represented India in three ODIs. While Warrier and Chakravarthy are undergoing treatment, Seifert was supposed to return back home on one of two charter flights back to New Zealand. Since he has tested positive, the New Zealand Cricket is in touch with him and his family and the player is being transported to Chennai from Ahmedabad. Over there he will undergo treatment at the same private hospital as Chennai Super Kings' Assistant Coach Michael Hussey.

Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma raise Rs 3.6 Cr in 24 hours in fight against COVID-19

India captain Virat Kohli and his better half and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma have come in to lend a helping hand in the fight against COVID-19 in the country. The couple who aims to to raise Rs 7 crore has made a donation of Rs 2 crore in the fundraiser #InThisTogether while the total amount that has been collected so far has gone up to Rs 3.6 crore. Kohli in a social media post wrote that it’s an overwhelming response. “3.6 crores in less than 24 hours! Overwhelmed with the response. Let’s keep fighting to meet our target and help the country. Thank you.” Anushka had earlier shared a video saying that she and Kohli pledged their support to Covid-19 relief work. “As our country battles the second wave of Covid-19, and our healthcare systems are facing extreme challenges, it breaks my heart to see our people suffering. So, Virat and I have initiated a campaign #InThisTogether, with Ketto, to raise funds for Covid-19 relief,” she said. Earlier, the IPL 2021 was also suspended with immediate effect for an indefinite time after there was a rise in the COVID-19 within the franchise teams. SRH’s Wriddhiman Saha, DC’s Amit Mishra, KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrior and CSK’s bowling coach L.Balaji had tested positive. The Virat Kohl-led RCB had a decent run so far in this edition after they won five of the seven matches that they played and were placed at the third spot before the tournament was put to a halt. The country has seen a sudden rise in the positive cases in the past few weeks while a number of players have come in support to help India in these tough times. Australia and KKR bowler Pat Cummins donated $50,000 to purchase oxygen supplies for hospitals in India while Shikhar Dhawan donated ₹20 lakh to an NGO for buying oxygen cylinders and concentrators. Former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar gave Rs 1 Cr to the same organisation. The decision of resumption of IPL 2021 is yet to be taken by the BCCI.

'Too early' says BCCI on English counties' offer for IPL 2021; outlines World T20 as top priority

The treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Arun Singh Dhumal has said that it is too early to discuss offer from English counties to host the remainder of the IPL 2021 in England in the month of September this year. Instead, he said, the BCCI is focused on ensuring perfect preparation to host another marquee event in the form of ICC World T20 scheduled to be played in the country later this year. "We will explore all the options and see when it's feasible to play those matches and take a call at the right time. Their offer has not been discussed yet. It's too early. Right now, our immediate plan is finalise the preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup in India later this year," Reuters quoted Arun Singh Dhumal as saying. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka too has thrown their hat in the ring with a proposal to host the unfinished portion of the tournament postponed ‘indefinitely’ in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases in biosecure bubbles of various franchises. Yes, we can certainly provide a window to host the IPL in the month of September. We hear the UAE is their one option but Sri Lanka can not be ignored for all reasons. We are planning to host the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in July-August and the grounds and other infrastructure will be ready for the IPL in September", the chief of the managing committee of the SLC, Prof. Arjuna de Silva, told Deccan Chronicle from Colombo. Notably, an early estimate by the BCCI suggests that it will incur a loss of a whopping Rs 2500 crore if the IPL 2021 does complete and hence the board will be eager to find alternative venues for its most financially rewarding tournament.