SPORTS

The BCCI have confirmed that they've made an offer to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to play two extra T20Is, should both parties decide to settle for an amicable resolution over the standoff that resulted following the cancellation of the Manchester Test.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah told Cricbuzz that India have agreed to play two extra T20Is against England so that the ECB can recover the losses incurred from the cancellation of the Old Trafford Test, with the condition that there should not be a demand for the forfeiture.

"It is correct that we have offered to play two extra T20Is when we visit England next July (only for the white-ball games). Instead of three T20Is, we will play five T20Is. Alternately, we will be willing to play one-off Test as well. It is up to them to choose either of the offers," Shah told Cricbuzz on Monday (September 13).

During the fourth Test match at the Oval between India and England, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah claimed his 100th Test wicket, becoming the quickest India pacer to complete a century of wickets in the longest format. Bumrah achieved the feat by breaking the record of one of India's greatest fast bowlers of all time, Kapil Dev.

The former India all-rounder had taken 25 Tests to pick up 100 Test wickets, a record that stood tall for over 40 years before Bumrah made it his, getting there in 24 games. Kapil, the country's first cricket World Cup winning captain, has lavished praise on Bumrah, calling his achievement sensational, more so because of the pacer's action and the kind of pitches he has bowled in.

Sunil Gavaskar welcomed BCCI's decision to offer ECB rescheduling of the cancelled fifth Test between India and England. The legendary cricketer cited the example of England's tour to India back in 2008 when the Kevin Pietersen-led side had to fly back home midway due to the terror attacks in Mumbai but they came next month to play the two-match Test series.

The fifth India-England match, which was slated to begin in Manchester on Friday, was postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 scare in the Indian camp. India's assistant physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive on the eve of the Test match sending fears among the Indian players.

"We as Indians should never forget that the England team came back after the horrific attacks of 2008. They would have been perfectly entitled to say 'we are not comfortable to come back'.

The Indian team in England has been hit by a fresh COVID-19 positive case as another support staff member - assistant physio Yogesh Parmar - of the team has tested positive in Manchester.

Media has learnt that the result was known on Thursday (September 9) after which the scheduled training session on the eve of the fifth and final Test at the Old Trafford - starting on Friday (September 10) - was cancelled.

The Indian camp was first hit by the pandemic in the middle of the fourth Test at the Oval in London, when Ravi Shastri tested positive. He, along with bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and physio Nitin Patel were immediately put in isolation as a precautionary measure.

The latest COVID positive case in the Indian camp has thrown the fate of the fifth and final Test between England and India in limbo. The two boards - England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) - were involved in negotiations about whether to go ahead with the match as scheduled.

Former India skipper M.S. Dhoni, who led India to three International Cricket Council (ICC) titles, will join the national team as mentor for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup to be held in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman in October-November.

Dhoni will work closely with India team head coach Ravi Shastri during the competition, said Indian cricket board secretary Jay Shah during the announcement of the India squad in a press conference.

"Mr Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be joining Team India as mentor for the upcoming T20 World Cup. I am glad that MS has accepted BCCI's offer and he is keen to contribute to the national team once again. MS will work closely with Mr Ravi Shastri as well as other support staff to provide support and direction to Team India," said Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to the media in a virtual interaction.