Something unprecedented happened in 2021 when India played two series in two different venues at the same time. A second side led by Shikhar Dhawan was playing in Sri Lanka when Virat Kohli's India was preparing for the Test series in England.
This was the second time in Indian cricket history that two separate teams were representing the country, after the same happened when India picked two teams for the Sahara Cup and Commonwealth Games in 1998. According to the BCCI secretary Jay Shah, a situation like this might occur again. He even stated that the BCCI "will have two teams ready at the same time."
“I have had discussions with NCA head VVS Laxman and we will always have 50 players in our roster. In future, you will have a scenario, where the Indian Test team will be playing a series in one country and the white-ball team will be engaged in a series in a different country. We are going in that direction where we will have two national teams ready at the same time,” he told PTI.
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The demand for a dedicated window for the multi-million dollar tournament has grown steadily since its start. ICC, on the other hand, has never bowed to BCCI pressure. Nonetheless, the secretary of the BCCI stated that such a revolutionary move may be implemented in the near future. This will allow top international players to participate in the league without having to worry about their national obligations.
“That is an aspect we have worked upon. Let me inform you that from the next ICC FTP calendar, IPL will have an official two-and-a-half-month window so that all the top international cricketers can participate. We have had discussions with various boards as well as the ICC,” he said.
He also stated that the BCCI is attempting to boost weaker nations by playing against them, mentioning the next two T20Is against Ireland as an example.
“Indian cricket will remain strong as long as world cricket remains strong. Let me assure you of this. The BCCI is committed to international cricket. And it’s not just about India versus Australia or India versus England marquee series, we are committed to playing even the smaller nations. All bilateral international commitments across all formats will be honored. We are playing Ireland in two T20 Internationals this month only. We want a strong robust international circuit and want to help the smaller cricketing nations by playing against them.” he explained.
(PTI INPUTS)
