England 'Need' full India tour to happen this summer anyhow after damning latest update

Cricket boards have had to incorporate significant changes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the unprecedented situation has also led to cricketing bodies facing business and financial impact lately. The England Cricket Board (ECB) recently announced that have faced a substantial loss in the last financial year. This is why the upcoming India vs England 2021 series becomes of utmost importance for the host nation.

ECB suffers massive financial losses due to COVID-19 

The coronavirus situation has become an added challenge for hosting nations while organizing cricket series. From the bio-secure environment to playing behind closed doors, the pandemic has had an impact on the finances of cricket boards. According to Sky Sports, the England Cricket Board has lost around 16.1 million pounds (i.e. approximately INR 167 crore) in the last financial year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The cricket board in their financial statement has revealed ECB has had to deal with a substantial loss in the last financial year mainly due to the postponement of the inaugural season of The Hundred and because of the additional costs, they have had to bear for creating a bio-secure environment for hosting international cricket matches. However, England have a number of high-profile cricketing assignments coming up, which could give them a significant boost in terms of revenue. 

The India vs England 2021 and the England vs New Zealand 2021 series will be crucial for the cricket board. Moreover, their men's team is also slated to battle it out with Sri Lanka and Pakistan this summer. ECB also will have high hopes from The Hundred 2021. There seems to be a significant buzz ahead of the first season of The Hundred 2021, and its success could aid the cricket board during the dire circumstances. The England vs New Zealand 2021 Test matches will commence from June 2, whereas The Hundred 2021 will kick-off on July 22.  

India vs England 2021 

The two cricketing giants are slated to battle it out in five Test matches. The touring Indian team will first feature in the World Test Championship Final before the Test series. The 1st Test match of the India vs England 2021 series is scheduled to be played on August 4 at Nottingham.

India squad for WTC final 

India squad for WTC Final: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance). 

Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla

Image source: PTI