BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Thursday (July 8) kept himself away from the national selectors’ decision to not send a replacement for injured opener Shubman Gill in England, saying it was a matter for the selection panel to consider.
With Gill likely to be flown back home from UK after sustaining a shin injury, the Indian team management was reportedly keen on availing the services of Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal.
However, the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee doesn’t seem to be on the same page as the team management.
According to a PTI report, the panel hadn’t sent any formal reply to the mail of the team management, requesting for two openers as replacement, till a couple of days back.
When asked about the controversial issue, Ganguly, while addressing reporters on his 49th birthday, said: “That’s selectors’ call.”
Shaw and Padikkal are currently with the national team on the white-ball tour to Sri Lanka. If either of them needs to be available from the first match of the five-Test series, he will have to serve 10-day quarantine upon landing in UK and, hence, the selectors need to make a decision quickly.
Under regular captain Virat Kohli, Indian cricket team is set to play a five-match Test series against England, starting August 4 in Nottingham.
On a different note, Ganguly expressed optimism about hosting the second phase of the IPL 2021 in UAE in September-October.
“Nothing will happen we will manage. It will start in September we will chalk out the nitty-gritties,” he told reporters.
Ganguly once again clarified that the BCCI was forced to shift this year’s ICC World T20 to UAE, taking into account the safety and security of all stakeholders amid the pandemic.
“There will be regret but no one has witnessed such a situation in their entire lifetime. These are exceptional circumstances.
“Last year the World Cup got cancelled and this year if again the World Cup gets cancelled because of COVID, then it’s a massive loss for the game. That’s why we have taken it into a safer place,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
