File image of Rohit Sharma
Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma on Friday reckoned that the much-anticipated India versus Australia Test series, slated to take place later this year, would be a great way to begin cricket with after the coronavirus pandemic ends. Rohit said this in conversation with Australia cricketer David Warner on Instagram Live chat.
India are slated to tour Australia from October 2020 to January 2021 to play four Tests, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. However, with the pandemic creating a world-wide effect, the tour is shrouded in uncertainty.
The pandemic has already affected Cricket Australia massively which has forced them to furlough 80 per cent of their staff until the end of their financial year. But CA chief Kevin Roberts is mulling all creative solutions to make the tour happen even if it includes housing the Indian team in the new hotel inside Adelaide Oval and staging matches in empty stadiums. They are even looking at expanding the Test series from four games to five, for a cancellation of the series would imply a reported loss of $300 million to CA.
"We were quite looking forward to this year's tour as well. I hope somehow the boards of the two nations do something and get the series underway. It would be great for the team and for fans to begin cricket with. But I am really looking forward to that Australian tour, whether it happens in January or February," said Rohit.
The limited-overs captain also talked about the possibility of IPL in 2020, although he clarified that he has no clue about the resumption dates.
"For IPL, I feel it will happen at some stage. But I have no clue about the date or the month. Once everything settles down, we will have a better idea whether it is likely to happen or not," he said.
