With BCCI having offered to play a Test on next England tour, ICC should award series 2-1 to India: VVS Laxman

The cancellation of the fifth and final Test match in Manchester between England and India has not gone down too well with experts and critics. While some of them have said it is because of the start of the second half of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE, others felt the Indians were scared to take the field, once it was confirmed that junior physio Yogesh Parmar was detected with COVID-19.

Jumping into the bandwagon, VVS Laxman has shared his thoughts and said that blaming IPL resumption is wrong, and it was rather due to circumstances playing a part. Former India batter also spoke about how the pandemic has caused a lot of problems in the mindsets of people.

“It was an abrupt, somewhat disappointing end to what had been a cracking series but, given the circumstances in which the final Test at Old Trafford was cancelled, it’s unfair to point fingers or play the blame game. More than a year and a half since the pandemic, the world is still far from a safe place.

“It might be tempting for many to see the Indian team as the villain of the piece, but I can say from our IPL experiences this summer that once any member of the team that you have been in close contact with tests positive, it is impossible not to be apprehensive, indeed fearful,” Laxman told Times of India.

To take the field in that mental state is far from ideal: VVS Laxman

Laxman further opined that the ECB and BCCI’s decision to cancel the fifth Test was the right decision in the end. He also feels that considering the situation, ICC should award series 2-1 in favor of India.

“To take the field in that mental state is far from ideal. So is the potential risk of endangering others on the park, be it your teammates, the officials, or the opponents. Against that backdrop, I think the cancellation of the Test was the right call, though I feel deeply for the fans who had invested so much time, money and emotion in the contest. I hope the ICC sees the situation for what it is and awards the series 2-1 to India, particularly with the BCCI having offered to play a Test during their white-ball tour of England next year.”

ECB and BCCI are in talks to play the fifth match but there is no official announcement made as of now.