London, Dec.2 (ANI): Former England captain Graham Gooch doubts the England cricket team will return to India despite the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) agreeing to shift the venue of the first Test from Ahmedabad to Chennai.
“The players have returned home, they”ll have spoken to their families and young children and it’’s a tremendous pull on the heart-strings,” The Telegraph quoted Gooch, as saying. “Cricket teams around the world have [previously] been caught up in terrorist situations but have never been a target. But it’’s been stated in this case that British and American passport holders were a target, so you”d have to think, sadly, that an England team and their supporters would be targets. If one individual decides they cannot go then others will probably follow,” he added.
The first Test begins on December 11, and an ECB board meeting is due to take place today to decide on whether the tour will or will not go ahead.
As of now, England is likely to return to India on Friday and begin a hectic period leading into the first Test.
A two-day warm-up match will begin on Monday with the first Test starting two days later. While the ECB are set on England returning to India, providing security reports give the all clear, there is some doubt overt the strength of the team.
However, Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers Association, confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that the decision of whether to return to India would be down to the individual.
The ground in Chennai is ready for use as it was due to be a venue for the postponed Champions League and it is felt to be one of the safer cities in southern India.
It had been thought that Calcutta would host a Test, but instead Mohali, in northern India, has been chosen as the venue for the second Test set to begin on December 19. (ANI)