‘The tour is on, we have time to decide’ – Sourav Ganguly on India’s series in South Africa amidst Omicron emergence

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president, Sourav Ganguly, said that India’s tour of South Africa stays on schedule for the time being. The Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus has made South Africa a ‘risk country’, but BCCI and Ganguly don’t wish to press the panic button and rather want to take their time before zeroing on in any decision.

Recently, amidst the COVID-19 scare, the BCCI didn’t pull out from India A’s ongoing red-ball matches against South Africa A at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein. The upcoming tour is scheduled to get underway on Friday, December 17 with the opening Test at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

“The tour is on as things stand till now. We still have time to decide. The first Test is scheduled for December 17. We will ponder about it,” Ganguly told the reporters, India Today reported.

Players’ security and health BCCI’s first priority, says Sourav Ganguly

After the conclusion of India’s ongoing two-match Test series against New Zealand, the Indian players are likely to board the flight for Johannesburg on either December 8 or 9. India are scheduled to play three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is on the tour.

Meanwhile, Ganguly also said that the decisions will be made keeping in mind the players’ safety and well-being. The veteran mentioned that the BCCI won’t compromise on the cricketers’ security by any means.

“Players’ security and health has always been BCCI’s first priority, we will do everything possible for this. We will see what happens in the days to come,” he stated.

Moreover, Ganguly reckoned that Hardik Pandya has the potential to make a strong comeback after having dealt with injuries and poor form of late. Hardik couldn’t make the cut for the New Zealand series. Ganguly also urged the netizens to not draw Pandya’s parallels with the legendary Kapil Dev.

“He is a good cricketer. He’s not fit, that’s why he’s not there in the team. He’s young, I hope he makes a comeback after recovering from his injury. Don’t compare him (Hardik) with Kapil Dev. He belonged to a different league,” Ganguly, also one of India’s greatest captains, added.