Ever since the 5th Test between India and England was cancelled due to the Covid scare in the Team India camp, a lot has been said and written about the outcome of the series. Virat Kohli’s men held a 2-1 lead in the series before the final Test was cancelled a day after India’s physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar contracted the virus. Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman shared his views on why the International Cricket Council (ICC) should award the result of the series 2-1 in India’s favour.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to play an additional Test along with the white-ball series when India tours England in 2022.
In his column for the Times of India, Laxman opined that following BCCI’s solution to the problem, the ICC should award the series 2-1 in India’s favour as keeping the Covid scare in mind, it wasn’t in the best interest of the players and the officials to go ahead with the 5th Test.
“To take the field in that mental state is far from ideal. So is the potential risk of endangering others on the park, be it your teammates, the officials or the opponents. Against that backdrop, I think the cancellation of the Test was the right call, though I feel deeply for the fans who had invested so much time, money and emotion in the contest. I hope the ICC sees the situation for what it is and awards the series 2-1to India, particularly with the BCCI having offered to play a Test during their white ball tour of England next year,” Laxman wrote.
Laxman also added that it was unfair to play the blame game as these are challenging times where the chances of the virus spreading further are very high if a member from within the bio-bubble.
“It was an abrupt, somewhat disappointing end to what had been a cracking series but given the circumstances in which the final Test at Old Trafford was cancelled, it’s unfair to point fingers or play the blame game. More than a year and a half since the pandemic, the world is still far from a safe place. It might be tempting for many to see the Indian team as the villain of the piece, but I can say from our IPL experiences this summer that once any member of the team that you have been in close contact with tests positive, it is impossible not to be apprehensive, indeed fearful,” Laxman added.
