Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said that the BCCI should work closely with the ECB to reschedule the fifth and final Test in the near future. The game at Manchester was called off due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp. On Wednesday, India’s junior physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive for the virus.
The practice session of the visitors was shelved after which the match was cancelled. Speaking on the entire events, Gavaskar gave the example of England’s tour of India in 2008 when the terrorist attacks in Mumbai took place. After the incident, England left India and the final two ODI matches in Guwahati and Delhi had to be cancelled.
However, England came back for the two-match Test series. Gavaskar stated that India shouldn’t forget England’s gesture.
“We as Indians should never forget that the England team came back after the horrific attacks of 2008. They would have been perfectly entitled to say ‘we are not comfortable to come back’,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying on Sony Sports Network.
“So, we should never forget that Kevin Pietersen led the team and he was the main man. If KP had said ‘no I don’t want to go’ that would have been the end of the tour. It was because KP convinced the others that the team came and we had that fantastic Test match in Chennai where India chased down 380 on Day 5 to win,” he stated.
“That gesture of the ECB must be remembered,” Gavaskar, one of India’s greatest top-order batters, added.