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Cricketing great and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Monday said that it will be disappointing to not have crowds around in Virat Kohli's 100th Test match which will be played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh, from Friday, March 4. The decision was made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to not have spectators in the first Test against Sri Lanka owing to a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Virat Kohli will be playing his 100th match in the purest format of the game in the first Test match of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka National Cricket Team at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh, from Friday, March 4.
Also, Virat Kohli will become the overall 71st cricketer to play 100 Test matches and the 12th most capped Indian Test player.
Gavaskar said that he is disappointed that there will be no spectators in Kohli’s 100th Test but he believes that the decision has been taken by the BCCI in greater interest as the Covid-19 cases have increased in Mohali.
“Any game that you play, you want the crowd to be there. India has played without any crowds in recent times. Any performer, be it an actor, be it a cricketer, wants to play in front of the crowd.
“The 100th Test is very very special. Disappointing that there is going to be no crowd, but I think the decision has been taken in the greater interest. The cases have increased in and around Mohali, where the match is going to be played,” Sunil Gavaskar told Sports Today in an exclusive interview.
On being asked about India's batting order after a terrific show with the willow in the T20 series triumph against Sri Lanka Gavaskar said," It's a great problem to have. Obviously Virat Kohli can't be replaced. He will probably come in at No.3, there is no question about it. But then you can use somebody like a Shreyas Iyer at No.4 or 5. Suryakumar, the way he has been batting, he is got to be included. It is just the plus, plus as far as the team is concerned."
“There are so many options. And it allows you to go in with pure bowlers and not bowlers who can bat. With a top-batting line-up, you can go in with someone like Mohammed Siraj or Avesh Khan, who is not known as a batsman. You don't have to look for someone who can bat like Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar or Bhuvneshwar Kumar. You might think in terms of all-out attack,” he added.
Gavaskar was also full of praise for Ravindra Jadeja who returned to International cricket after a brief halt due to injury. He said," It looked as if Jadeja has been playing all this while. He has come into the team all fresh...the way he batted, bowled and fielded was outstanding".
When asked about Sanju Samson performance in the recently concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka, Gavaskar said," Samson's problem is his shot selection and consistency. There was opportunity for him to go maximum after getting good starts. If he won't score runs then he might miss the bus to Australia".
