BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has confirmed the T20I series against West Indies will also take place behind closed doors. The decision has been taken keeping in mind the ongoing Covid-19 situation in the country.
Earlier, an announcement was made that 75 percent crowd would be allowed during the matches. But Ganguly has now stated that no spectators will be allowed during the matches in Kolkata.
“Let me put this on record. We are not allowing spectators at the Eden Gardens for the three T20 Internationals. There will not be any tickets for general public. The only people allowed are CAB officials and representatives of the various units,” the BCCI president told PTI.
“In these times, we can’t risk the health of the players by allowing spectators. No tickets for the stands of Life or Associate members will be issued. Obviously, we have the clearance of West Bengal government but BCCI doesn’t want to risk the health safety of players.”
The Kieron Pollard-led side is in India for a three-match ODI series that starts from 6th February. The two teams will play three T20Is after the 50-over matches.
This will be Rohit Sharma’s first series as the full-time ODI captain as India will aim to bounce back from their below-par display in South Africa.
On the other hand, West Indies are coming off a thumping 3-2 T20I series win against England at home. The Windies will be high on confidence with former captain Jason Holder being a big differential for them.
The visitors are not short of match-winners in their armoury with the likes of Holder, Darren Bravo, Shai Hope, and Captain Pollard.
The 1st ODI will be a historic match as India will be playing their 1000th ODI and will become the first cricket team in the world to achieve this feat.
