"This Incident Has Left The Board Embarrassed": BCCI Official On Virat Kohli And Ravi Shastri Attending Public Event In England

Reports have emerged stating the BCCI isn’t happy with Indian skipper Virat Kohli and the Head Coach, Ravi Shastri. Virat Kohli-led team India managed to defeat team England in the 4th match of the Test series by a huge margin of 157 runs at the Oval. Meanwhile, everything is not going well for team India as the head coach Ravi Shastri, fielding coach R Sridhar and bowling coach Bharat Arun have been tested positive for Covid-19.

The Head coach of team India Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli were recently seen attending the book launch event of Ravi Shastri. The reports of Times of India states that both Kohli and Shastri didn’t take approval from England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for attending the public event.

Meanwhile, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will now be looking for an explanation from the Coach and the captain for their actions.

“Photos from the event have been shared with BCCI officials. The board will probe the matter. This incident has left the board embarrassed. The coach and the captain will be asked to explain the circumstances after the fourth Test at Oval. The team’s administrative manager Girish Dongre’s role is also under the scanner,” a top BCCI official was quoted as saying by TOI on Monday.

The BCCI official also revealed that ECB is in touch will BCCI and they are doing everything to make sure that the series completes without any interruptions.

“The BCCI is in touch with ECB and trying to ensure the series is completed without any further incidents. As of now, everyone is hoping that Shastri recovers soon. There is a selection meeting for the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. Maybe the matter will be raised there,” the official added.

“The Action Of The Team Hasn’t Gone Down Well With The Board,”: BCCI Official

Notably, England and Wales Cricket Board ( ECB) removed strict bio-bubble norms for the series against India and the players were in a soft bio-bubble. Also, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had asked the players to avoid attending any public event just to make sure that players don’t contract the virus.

Meanwhile, the move by Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri hasn’t down well with the board. And the 5th and final Test of the series in Manchester will take place in the strict bio-bubble.

“This wasn’t an official event that either of the boards had organised. This incident is all the more unsettling because BCCI secretary Jay Shah had written to every team member before the series, asking them to be cautious and refrain from attending crowded events. The action of the team hasn’t gone down well with the board,” the official said.”

“There will be a proper bubble in Manchester. There’s the IPL coming up in UAE five days after the fifth Test finishes. The players will have to move in a bubble to UAE, else they will have to serve quarantine period upon reaching Dubai. Hopefully, there won’t be any further incidents once the team enters the bubble,” the official said.

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