Holding told me BCCI didn’t want the last Test, they only wanted four-match series — Doshi

The five-match Test series between India and England came to an abrupt end
with the final match getting indefinitely postponed due to COVID-19 fears in the
Indian camp.
For the unversed, several members from India’s support staff including head
coach Ravi Shastri had contracted the virus during the series. As Team India’s
assistant physiotherapist also got affected ahead of the final Test, the players
were hesitant to take the field.
This eventually led to the suspension of the entire match. For the unversed, the
fifth Test was due to end on September 13, just six days before the resumption of
the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Interestingly, BCCI announced a mandatory quarantine period for all players and
officials following the cancellation of the Test. Hence, a wide section of fans and
experts believe the Indian board didn’t want the fifth Test to happen in the first
place.
Addressing the same, former Indian cricketer Dilip Doshi revealed an interesting
conversation with former West Indies pacer Michael Holding. As per Doshi,
Holding said BCCI wanted to wrap up the series after the fourth Test.
However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) didn’t agree and five
matches were put on the schedule.
Dilip Doshi reveals conversation with Michael Holding
“I was speaking to a dear friend of mine, Michael Holding, earlier today and he
mentioned to me that the Indian Cricket Board did not want the last Test. So,
their original suggestion was that the tour should end after the Oval Test, leaving
enough time between IPL and the last Test in England.
Giving a gap of 15 days because of the quarantine period in between, but I
believe ECB did not want that and they may have insisted on the fifth Test,”
Doshi was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Meanwhile, the five-match series currently stands at 2-1 in favour of India. Both
boards are currently planning to conduct the remaining game next year on
England soil. Hence, it would be interesting to see how it pans out.
Meanwhile, the Indian players are now gearing up for the second leg of IPL 2021.
All the matches will take place in UAE and all eight teams would be raring to get
the glory. (Cric Tracker)