The schedule for the West Indies tour of India in February 2022 is under scanner as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is thinking about hosting the Caribbean team at one single venue. The latest developments could be brought into the reality after the rising number of Covid-19 cases in India. A BCCI source has revealed that only one venue could be used instead of six, to avoid any potential outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
“The schedule is now under scanner given the rising cases of Covid-19 in the country and BCCI is closely monitoring the situation. Under the circumstances, BCCI is open to hosting the visitors at just one venue instead of six as proposed. The decision to move the matches would not be taken in a hurry as there is still sometime before the West Indies arrive in India will take call looking at the Covid cases,” a BCCI source told Sports Tak.
The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has taken its toll on the cricketing calendar as the Netherlands canceled their South Africa tour in November, while there was a match postponed in West Indies' home series against Ireland due to Covid-19. Players were also forced to sit out during the Ashes series as they came in contact with contracted people. The BCCI wants to make sure that no such situation arises and therefore is planning to host the series at one particular venue.
The tour will take place in February, where West Indies are scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is. The proposed locations include Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur and Eden Gardens in Kolkata for the ODI series. The T20I series is scheduled to be played in Cuttack, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram.
However, under consideration, the final decision will take time as the board is yet to approve the latest development. The two teams have recently endured a tough time as India lost to South Africa in the three-match Test series by 1-2 while West Indies lost the ODI series with the same scoreline against Ireland at home. The series between the two nations could also see Rohit Sharma lead the Indian ODI team for the first time since being appointed as the permanent captain of the ODI side.
