Picture Credit: BCCI
While there were all kinds of speculations regarding the result of the England-India Test series which came to a premature end with the Manchester Test getting called off due to the COVID-19 cases in the Indian setup, it is now being reported that the result of the series will be decided next year. India, who were slated to play white-ball fixtures in England in 2022, will play a Test as well on the tour. The side is also in talks to play an added T20I to not only decide the result of Test series which currently hangs 2-1 in favour of India, but also to make up for the financial loss which the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has undergone.
This implies that India's Test match against England in 2022 will not be a one-off affair but will be considered an extension of the series. A report carried by Dainik Jagran claims that the BCCI and ECB officials have almost reached an agreement to make changes in the itinerary of India's tour of England in 2022. While the original plan was to have 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs, the series set to commence in July 2022 could now see 1 Test, 4 T20Is and 3 ODIs.
India should never forget what the England team did in 2008: Gavaskar
Meanwhile, former India opener Sunil Gavaskar has backed the move to reschedule the Test match which had to be cancelled at Manchester. He reminded the Indian Cricket Board of England's gesture of coming back to complete the series after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
“Yes, I think that (rescheduling the cancelled Test) would be the correct thing to do. Look, we, in India, should never forget what the England team did in 2008 after the horrific attack, the 26/11. They came back. They would have been perfectly entitled to say ‘we don’t feel safe. We are not coming back',” he said while speaking at Sony Sports Network.
"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 matter. It was because KP was willing to go and he convinced the others, the team came and we had that fantastic Test match in Chennai where India chased 380 to win on the last day," Gavaskar added.