ENG vs IND 2021: We want the series to be completed – Sourav Ganguly

The Board of Control for Cricket president Sourav Ganguly has revealed that they want the series to be completed so that the Indian team gets a chance to win their maiden Test series in England since 2007.

India was leading the series by 2-1 before the fifth Test match was called off due to Covid-19 concerns in the Indian camp.

However, some former England players including ex-captain Michael Vaughan and the English media have blamed the Indian players to prioritize their IPL contracts before the fifth Test.

On the other hand, England and Wales Cricket Board have written to the ICC for the adjudication of the fifth Test match. If the ICC rules the Test as abandoned, then India will win the series 2-1 but if England gets a forfeiture as per the Dispute Resolution Committee ruling, it will be a 2-2 verdict and the host nation can also claim insurance.

Ganguly said while talking to PTI, “We want the series to be completed as this will be our first series win (in England) since 2007. The BCCI maintains that Test cricket is the ultimate format, and we won’t compromise it for anything.”

“We are ready to play extra ODI and T20Is and that’s not an issue. Just that the Test match that will be played later will be the fifth match of the series. There is precedence of series being cancelled because of COVID-19 in the past 18 months. The BCCI cancelled its home series against South Africa last year, which cost us around 40 to 50 million pounds.”

Ganguly added that the safety of their players was more important than the final Test going forward as planned.

“We are extremely disappointed that this series had to be called off. The only reason is the COVID-19 outbreak and the player’s safety. We could only push them to a point. But the pandemic is so severe that one can only go that much distance.”

The BCCI president revealed that the Test match was called off amicably between the two boards. The former Indian skipper added the Test match could not have been played with fresh players as the whole team had come in contact with junior physio Yogesh Parmar, who was tested positive.

“Even the Test match was called off amicably. I am going there, and let’s see. We will figure out something.”

“No, that wasn’t an option. If you see the Yogesh Parmar (the junior physio who tested positive just before the match) was a close contact of every player. So obviously that was a cause of worry. It was something nobody had any control on and they (the players) had families traveling with them.”