As a fallout of the Mumbai Police’s refusal to provide security on December 6, the itinerary for India’s T20I series against the West Indies next month has been tweaked.
The first and third matches of the series, earlier scheduled in Mumbai on December 6 and Hyderabad on December 11, have been swapped.
Hyderabad Cricket Association secretary R. Vijayanand confirmed to The Hindu that the city will now host the first T20I on December 6. The swap was forced hours after the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of its inability to host the series-opener on December 6.
Two days after the Mumbai Police had informed the MCA that police force cannot be made available considering December 6 being the death anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, MCA officials on Friday met with Commissioner of Police Sanjay Barve. It is understood that the MCA officials requested Barve to provide 25% of the force that is usually provided but were told no policeman can be made available.
It forced the MCA to request the BCCI for swapping either the second or the third T20I. With HCA agreeing to host the first game, the problem has been amicably resolved.
Revised itinerary:
First T20I: Dec. 6: Hyderabad;
Second T20I: Dec. 8: Thiruvananthapuram;
Third T20I: Dec. 11: Mumbai.
