Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble keen on going to England

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn’t confirmed nor denied whether they will send the Indian Team to participate in the ICC Champions Trophy which kick-starts on June 1 in England. In a recent tiff with the International Cricket Council (ICC), BCCI threatened to boycott from all major ICC events until 2023.

ICC is trying its best to get BCCI on board to the new proposed revenue model. The board was offered a revenue of $290 million which was almost half of the $570 million they used to earn till last year. ICC got the figure up to $400 million but the BCCI rejected the offer hinting that they will not settle for anything less than the amount of last time. Since then the Indian board is at the loggerheads with ICC and a clear picture of the situation can only be speculated.

Vinod Rai, the head of the Committee of Administrations (CoA) which was appointed by the Supreme Court, met the coach and the skipper of the Indian team to have their opinion on the ongoing rift. According to Indian Express, coach Anil Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli are keen to take part in the Champions Trophy.

After BCCI had purposely missed ICC’s April 25 deadline to submit its squad for the event, CoA has instructed the board to announce the squad immediately and to stop sending notices to the ICC.

“It would be appropriate to make all necessary preparations for ensuring that Team India can successfully defend its title in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 which commences on 1st June 2017. You are aware that the squad representing India at the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 was to be submitted by 25th April 2017 but the squad has not even been selected as yet. Please convene a meeting of the selection committee for selecting the squad immediately. The squad can then be submitted to the ICC without prejudice to BCCI’s legal rights,” the COA’s reply to the BCCI acting secretary said.

The BCCI announced a Special General Meeting in New Delhi on May 7 to discuss the matter further. The CoA directed the BCCI to create a “supportive environment” to the Indian team as they are keen to head to England for their title defense.

“We believe that any decision taken at the SGM should be predicated on the fact that India has the best team in the world today. Team India should be provided with a supportive environment to showcase Indian cricket instead of being surrounded with uncertainty and confusion. There has been more than enough negativity surrounding Team India’s participation in the ICC Champions Trophy and the sooner the same is put to rest the better.”

“The players’ interests are paramount and they must be given the best chance to prepare for, defend and retain the ICC Champions Trophy. The focus should be on enabling our team to achieve even greater heights and further laurels, which will automatically attract higher revenues,” the letter said.

Everything will be crystal clear post the SGM on Sunday. The CoA has hinted that the team will eventually travel to England which is good news for the fans.