Pat bats for safety
Says if India is unsafe for T20 World Cup, shift to UAE is ideal
Australian pace spearhead Pat Cummins believes if hosting the ICC
T20 World Cup amidst raging Covid-19 pandemic is a “drain on Indian resources” or is “unsafe”, it would be prudent to shift it to the United Arab Emirates.
The postponement of Indian Premier League after multiple cases of
Covid-19 inside the biobubble has led to a big question-mark on whether the marquee ICC event should be held in India where a third wave is expected around that time.
“If it’s going to be a drain on resources or it’s not going to be safe, then I don’t think it’s right to play it over here. That’s the first question which needs to be answered,” Cummins was quoted as saying by The Age newspaper.
Cummins said cricket authorities should check with Indian government and do what’s best.
“It probably too early to say. It’s six months away. The priority should be for cricket authorities to work with the Indian government to see what’s best for the Indian people,” Cummins said.
Cummins feels hindsight always provides better perspective like many who feel that IPL could have been held in UAE this time also.
“The IPL in the UAE last year was brilliant, it was really well run, but millions of people were saying it should have been played in India, so what do you do? You can see both sides. They set up this tournament with all the best advice.”
Cummins has a lot of empathy for what the country is currently facing. “Around the hotel there is less staff and when you hop in the bus to go to training there is normally a few hundred people waiting. There’s no one out there now and no crowds at games.”
VIRAT-ANUSHKA DONATE `2 cr TO FIGHT COVID-19
New Delhi, May 7: India captain Virat Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma have donated `2 crore to a fund-raising project, which will raise a total of `7 crore to support the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The two are raising money through crowdfunding platform Ketto.
“...Virat Kohli and Bollywood superstar Anushka Sharma are aiming to raise `7 crore for Covid relief in India,” a press release from the celebrity couple stated.
“They are kickstarting a fundraising campaign #InThisTogether on the crowd-funding platform Ketto and are putting `2 crore for this initiative.”
The campaign will run for seven days on Ketto and the proceeds will be directed to ACT Grants, the implementation partner which will work towards providing oxygen, medical manpower, vaccination awareness and tele-medicine facilities all through the pandemic and the amount.