Mayank Agarwal preparing for the Test match against New Zealand in Southampton and is pretty much excited for the summit clash
Our Bureau
Southampton/Mumbai
India opener Mayank Agarwal is extensively preparing for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand in Southampton and is pretty much excited for the summit clash.
Mayank on Thursday shared a picture in Team India’s new training jersey. The right-handed batsman can be seen smiling as he poses for the picture. “Preparations are going strong and the excitement is building up,” Mayank captioned the post on his Instagram story.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja shared pictures of his quarantine routine and also posted a picture in the new training kit. Mayank and Jadeja are gearing up for the WTC final and are quarantined as Team India prepares to leave for the UK tour.
After completing the two-week quarantine in Mumbai, the team will undergo another 10-day quarantine in the UK. The second period will see them first undergo a hard quarantine before they take the field to train for the WTC final against New Zealand in Southampton, starting June 18.
The BCCI has ensured that the cricketers will get their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines in England under the guidance of the UK health department.
The BCCI has made a foolproof plan for the national team before they depart for the UK and arrangements were made for all the players to undergo three RT-PCR tests before assembling in Mumbai on May 19.
Jadeja joins Team India’s bio-bubble
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Monday began his quarantine period in Mumbai ahead of the team’s departure to the UK for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Jadeja shared a picture on Instagram and captioned the post as “Journey started. #quarantine #mumbai.” Last week, Mithali Raj, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Mayank Agarwal, and Washington Sundar reached the destination through a charter flight.
The BCCI’s official handle had tweeted pictures of these players flying to Mumbai and they captioned the post as: “First stop, Mumbai. #TeamIndia.
The men’s team will leave for the UK for the upcoming WTC final against New Zealand and then the five-match Test series against England.
On the other hand, the women’s team will lock horns against England in a one-off Test, three T20Is, and three ODIs.
The BCCI had made a foolproof plan for the national team before they depart for the UK to play the WTC final against New Zealand and the five-match Test series against England.
The roadmap drawn had arrangements made for all the players to undergo three RT-PCR tests before assembling in Mumbai.
Almost all the members of the Indian contingent set to depart for the UK have taken the first dose of their Covid-19 vaccine and will also be administered the second COVID-19 vaccine by the UK health department.
BCCI looking at Sept-Oct window to complete IPL
The suspended 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is likely to be played in UAE in the September 15 to October 15 window with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) looking at a 25-day window for the cash-rich league. Speaking to ANI, sources in the know of developments said that the BCCI is looking to host the 31 games in 25 days provided the COVID-19 situation is in control.
“See, at present all plans need to be made keeping the COVID-19 situation in mind. But yes, tentatively, we are looking at the September 15 to October 15 window. We would like to have 25 days to complete the league,” the source said.
Asked if talks are on with the Emirates Cricket Board on the same, the source said the matter will be further discussed at the Special General Meeting on May 29. “This is a tentative plan and will be discussed during the SGM on Saturday,” the source said.
The source further said that a bubble-to-bubble movement would be planned for the Indian players who are currently gearing up to play in the UK — the World Test Championship final and the five-match Test series against England.
“The final Test gets over at Old Trafford on September 14, so, we will look at getting the boys flown in from the bubble in UK to the team bubbles in UAE to minimalize the quarantine period. All that will be planned as we move ahead with franchises already moving base with those not playing international cricket,” the source explained.
The 14th edition of the league had to be cancelled on May 4 after a number of players and support staff tested positive for COVID-19.
No break for IPL, says Ashley Giles
Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s team, has said that the England and Wales Cricket (ECB) are not planning to change their schedule for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
The suspended 14th edition of the IPL is likely to be played in UAE in the September 15 to October 15 window with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) looking at a 25-day window for the cash-rich league. Speaking to ANI, sources in the know of developments has said that the BCCI is looking to host the 31 games in 25 days provided the COVID-19 situation is in control.
“See, at present, all plans need to be made keeping the COVID-19 situation in mind. But yes, tentatively, we are looking at the September 15 to October 15 window. We would like to have 25 days to complete the league,” the source said.
Giles while admitted that few players might be rested during that phase, he asserted that the “intention of giving guys a break wouldn’t be for them to go and play cricket elsewhere.”
“We are going to have to give some of these guys a break at some point. But the intention of giving guys a break for, say, Bangladesh, wouldn’t be for them to go and play cricket elsewhere,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Giles as saying.
“We have to manage our schedule now, so we get our guys arriving in the best shape possible for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes,” he added.
India and England will lock horns in a five-match Test series starting in August. Giles also confirmed that England had no plans to tweak the schedule of the series.
“I’m not aware of anything official, any requests to shift anything,” said Giles.
“As far as we’re concerned and what we’re prepared for, the matches will be where they are. I’m not surprised there’s all sorts of speculation. Everyone wants to get their cricket in. But we’ve not received anything official and we’re cracking on.
Rohit waiting for a ‘reunion’ with fans
Many people couldn’t hold their excitement on hearing about the iconic American show ‘Friends’ return but for India opener Rohit Sharma the only thing he is eagerly waiting for is a reunion with the cricket fans.
After a long break of nearly 17 years, the 90s sitcom is coming back as ‘Friends: The Reunion’ for fans to be streamed on HBO from May 27, 2021. But the Mumbai Indians skipper awaits the reunion with the fans in the cricket stadium as games are currently being played behind closed doors.
“F.R.I.E.N.D.S, this is the reunion I am waiting for!” Rohit tweeted while sharing a throwback picture.
The special show reunites Cox and Perry with Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc, on screen for the first time since the sitcom ended in 2004.
The reunion was filmed on Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California, where the show was originally shot. It was set to be filmed in 2020 but faced delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Rohit is gearing up for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand in Southampton and is in quarantine as Team India prepares to leave for the UK tour.
The BCCI has also ensured that the cricketers will get their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines in England under the guidance of the UK health department.
The BCCI has made a foolproof plan for the national team before they depart for the UK and arrangements were made for all the players to undergo three RT-PCR tests before assembling in Mumbai on May 19. After completing the two-week quarantine in Mumbai, the team will undergo another 10-day quarantine in the UK. The second period will see them first undergo a hard quarantine before they take the field to train for the WTC final against New Zealand in Southampton, starting June 18.
