‘Should have told us’ – Mamata Banerjee unimpressed with Sourav Ganguly calling off Kolkata ODI against South Africa

Mamata Banerjee, the Honourable Chief Minister of West Bengal, isn’t quite pleased with Sourav Ganguly, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the world’s richest cricket board called off India’s ODIs against South Africa. The game was scheduled to take place on March 18 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

However, the BCCI had to cancel the game along with the one on March 15 in Lucknow. The opening ODI at the HPCA in Dharamshala was called off due to rain. Mamata said that the BCCI should have informed the Kolkata Police before taking a decision on the match.

I am saying this with due respect: Mamata Banerjee

“Everything was alright with Sourav. But they should have told us a word, nothing else. When the match was scheduled to be held in Kolkata, at least the Kolkata Police should have been informed,” the CM was quoted as saying in DNA.

“I am saying this with due respect. Why would not the state chief secretary or home secretary or police commissioner or someone else in the government be informed? How is that if you inform us after making a decision? We are not asking you to stop the match. But what would you have done had you been in this situation?” she added.

The coronavirus has put most of the sporting events to halt. India’s domestic tournament, including the Irani Cup has been put to hold. The Indian Premier League (IPL) was earlier slated to get underway on March 29. However, the current scenario forced the BCCI to postpone the tournament until April 15. There’s also chance of the tournament not happening at all.

If the IPL happens in the end, then the matches could well be played behind closed doors. Apart from the T20 league, a number of other tournaments have either been postponed or being cancelled. Thus far, India has recorded in excess of 100 positive cases.

The global figures stand more than 1,00,000. The death tolls of the coronavirus have increased to over 5,000 internationally. The Indian government has also cancelled the visas, barring the ones in the employment and diplomatic category.