The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to allow the fans for the India-New Zealand series, which is scheduled to be commencing on November 17. While the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly told Sportstar on Saturday that “hopefully, we will have full spectators”, the state associations which will be hosting the T20 and Test series indicated that a ‘certain amount’ of the crowd will be allowed in the stadiums, following the health protocols issued by the respective State governments.
The tour is scheduled to be commencing on November 17 with a T20 series – Jaipur will host the first game, followed by Ranchi and Kolkata. The two-match Test series will be played in Kanpur and Kolkata between November 25 and December 7.
As per the quotes in Sportstar, a state association official said, “We are in touch with the State government about the protocols and the rules. The safety of the fans will be of paramount importance and we will do everything to ensure that all protocols are followed.”
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On the other hand, the Cricket Association of Bengal has already received a go-ahead from the West Bengal State government. Describing the same, CAB secretary Snehasish Ganguly said, “We have been told to allow 70 percent crowd in the stadium for the T20. We will soon start issuing tickets for the game. It will also be available online.”
The other centers like Mumbai, Ranchi, and Jaipur are likely to allow at least 50 percent of spectators for the matches. According to the reports of ANI, some senior players will be rested for the T20I series against New Zealand. And it is likely that KL Rahul will be leading the squad.
Fans will return in the stadiums for India Vs New Zealand series. Senior players to be rested, KL Rahul to lead the T20i team. (Reported by ANI).
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 2, 2021
One of ANI’s sources in BCCI said, “The seniors would need a breather and it is no secret that Rahul is an integral part of the team’s T20 structure. He is almost certain to lead.”
Elaborating the same, one of BCCI officials said, “Sometimes you need a break. You miss your family sometimes. But when you’re on the field, you don’t think of all those things. You don’t control a lot of things, how the scheduling goes on or what tournament is played when. So obviously staying in a bubble and staying away from your family for such a long period of time does play a role on the player’s mind as well.”
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He further added, “But this is the time which we’re living in right now. It’s a difficult time. There’s a pandemic going on. So we try to adapt. But sometimes bubble fatigue, mental fatigue also creeps in, that you’re doing the same thing again and again and again. So it is the way it is, and you can’t control a lot of it here.”
