MCA, CAB in battle over Sachin's 200th

MUMBAI/DELHI: Now that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made sure that Sachin Tendulkar will play his 200th Test at home by rolling out the red carpet for cricket-starved West Indies, a row has broken out over which centre will get to host the historic Test: Mumbai or Kolkata.

The BCCI allots Test matches by turns and there's some ambiguity about which centre will get the bragging rights for the grand occasion.

Mumbai Cricket Association president Ravi Savant confirmed on Wednesday that there was no clarity on the issue even as MCA expressed its eagerness to host the match. "I heard today that the West Indies tour is confirmed. I don't know whose turn it will be to host the (200th) Test though. They can allot Tests out of turn. I've heard that the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has asked for it. We need to approach that particular centre to let us host the Test. It's still to be decided. I think the venues will be chosen after the BCCI AGM on September 29. However, we would love to see Tendulkar play his 200th Test at home," Savant said.

On the other hand, the CAB has begun attempts to bring the all-important Test to Eden Gardens. Sources said that CAB was banking on the close equation between BCCI president in exile, N Srinivasan and interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, who is also the CAB president.

"More than 70,000 fans can watch the 200th Test match here in the city and most importantly, Sachin has a huge fan following in Kolkata," a CAB official said.

However, MCA, it was learnt, has written a letter seeking BCCI's intervention so that Mumbai's claim is not overlooked. In fact, Sachin's 200th Test was the topic of discussion when CAB members met in Kolkata on Wednesday. Sources said that CAB was forging a strategy to wrest the game away from Mumbai.

A senior BCCI, official, however, said that Mumbai's Wankhede will host the second Test against West Indies. "Going by the BCCI's rotation policy, it is MCA's turn to host a Test and more than anyone, Tendulkar deserves to play his 200th Test in front of his home crowd," the official said.

'South Africa tour is on'

Meanwhile, the BCCI is likely to go ahead with the tour of South Africa later this year, which will be a shortened affair. "The tour to South Africa is very much on but it will not to be a full tour as planned. We may play just a couple of Tests and three one-day internationals," the official said.

Cricket South Africa CEO Haroon Lorgat is said to have made frantic calls to BCCI officials to save the tour.

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Shweta Pandey

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