We will host the match at Chennai: TNCA

The Chennai Test between India and England came under dark clouds recently. It was the sad demise of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha that created a mourning scene in the state. The people of Tamil Nadu were very upset with the death of their Chief Minister. The BCCI was therefore considering the shift of venue for the fifth and the final Test of the England series.

The match is scheduled to be played on December 16. A huge sigh of relief came for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) when the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) said they will go ahead with the match. The TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan said that the match at Chennai will go ahead as per the plans.

“The state mourning period (week-long) gets over December 12, while the Test starts only four days after that. We  will host the match. We, however, informed BCCI that we won’t be able to host the Ranji Trophy game between Odisha and Jharkhand in Dindigul and an Under-19 match,” he quoted.

However, the BCCI said that they have not come to a conclusion about the situation. They rather chose to keep a wait and watch approach towards it. “We are making it clear that BCCI has not taken any decision with regard to the Chennai Test match,” BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke said.

He added that a lot will depend on how things evolve in the days to come. A match can certainly not be played at a venue where the sentiments of the people are hurt. The final decision will soon be taken based on all calculations.

“We are keeping a close watch on the situation and we are taking the inputs from the local host association as to what is the mood and sentiment of the people and based on what evolves, the final decision on the (Test) match will be taken. I just wanted to clarify that, because often (when) there is no clarity, there can be some speculation and such speculation can be often counter-productive and it might not, ever had been the intention of BCCI to take any such decision,” he added further.