Don't see the reason why families can't accompany players in Australia: Ganguly
Melbourne: BCCI President Sourav Ganguly strongly feels that Indian cricketers should be accompanied by their families for the upcoming tour of Australia as a lot of them have been alone in an IPL bio-bubble for nearly 80 days.
"They (players) have already been living in a bubble for the last 80 days," Ganguly told 'The Age'.
Asked if the tour would be in doubt if families cannot accompany the players, Ganguly replied: "I don't see a reason why the families won't be allowed to come. The Australian cricket board is trying to accommodate the families. It should be okay."
There appear to be some issues to be settled between the BCCI and Cricket Australia on the bio-security measures the host nation has devised but Ganguly said the Indian team will travel to Sydney immediately after the IPL ends on November 10.
"So far it is ahead. The initial part will be in Sydney. We are still in discussions on how to get the bio-bubble part and medical parts stronger because it's a long tour," Ganguly was quoted as saying by the Australian newspaper.
"But I am told Australia is COVID free at the moment, there aren't many cases. Basically, we are trying to get everything in place and make sure it is safe. That's all," he said.
Ganguly also said that they have requested Cricket Australia to ensure that its players can train during the 14-day quarantine period.
"We have requested that because they have been in the IPL for a long time (in the UAE) and then they go straight from the IPL to Australia because there is a 14-day quarantine. It will be solved," Ganguly told Australian newspaper 'The Age'.
Sydney and Canberra are likely to host the white-ball leg of three T20Is and as many ODIs while the four-match Test series is starting with a D/N pink-ball match in Adelaide from December 17. Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney are the venues of the other three Tests.
Ganguly is also hoping that the families of the Indian players will be allowed to be accommodated in the bio-secure bubble in Australia.
He, however, refused to speculate on India captain Virat Kohli potentially missing out a Test as he and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child.
"This is a personal question. I don't like to comment and I have not asked him," Ganguly said.
CA had originally planned to have the white-ball series after the Test series.
Asked about this, Ganguly said, "It's just about the timing to get everything accommodated. There is Boxing Day Test, New Year's Day Test, all these remain on schedule. Then India comes back and plays against England straightaway for the Test series and one-day series.
"The T20s were supposed to be before the (T20) World Cup but that has not gone through because of the COVID. We are trying to get the best possible schedule and finish the one-dayers and T20s so the players can get back."
The former India captain is also hoping his "Super Series" plan for an annual one-day series tournament between India, Australia, and England would go ahead once COVID-19 issues were resolved.
"It hasn't gone anywhere because of COVID. We don't know what is going to happen in the next six, seven months. A lot of tournaments and series have been canceled so that needs to be rescheduled," he said.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway ‘missing link’ to open on May 1; will improve travel safety: Shinde
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the long-awaited ‘missing link’ on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, aimed at bypassing the winding Bhor Ghat section and improving safety, will be inaugurated on May 1.
Shinde, who inspected the project site, said the new stretch will make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the hilly section.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to inaugurate the 13.3-km-long missing link, which connects Khopoli on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala, on Maharashtra Day, which is celebrated on May 1, he said.
The deputy CM said that 99 per cent of the project work has been completed. “I personally inspected the quality of work and found it satisfactory. The remaining minor works will be completed in the next few days,” Shinde said.
Shinde said the new alignment will bypass sharp curves and accident-prone stretches in the ghat section, helping reduce delays and improve commuter safety. He claimed accidents in the section would reduce substantially once the project becomes operational.
“The missing link project will make travel between Mumbai and Pune quicker, safer and more convenient, and will contribute significantly to the state’s development,” he said.
The Rs 6,700-crore project, developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), includes two tunnels, high viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley.
The missing link will reduce the travel distance between Mumbai and Pune by approximately 6 km and shorten the journey time by 20 to 30 minutes, said officials.
Initially, only light motor vehicles and buses will be permitted on the new stretch to reduce congestion on the existing ghat section, officials said, adding that heavy goods vehicles will be prohibited due to safety concerns.
“There will be no toll hike because of the missing link project. No increase has been proposed at the Khalapur toll plaza either,” Shinde said.
The project comprises two eight-lane tunnels of 1.75 km and 8.92 km in length and two viaducts measuring 850 metres and 650 metres, said officials. It has been designed to bypass the old Khandala ghat section, a winding route that has long slowed down traffic and posed safety risks, said officials.
The 650-metre viaduct will feature what officials described as India’s tallest road cable-stayed bridge, with pylons rising to 182 metres, taller than those on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
Officials claimed that the tunnels have a width of 23.75 metres and are among the widest road tunnels in the world. An MSRDC official said the tunnel is likely to be included in the Guinness Book of Records.
The route runs beneath the Lonavala lake area and was executed in difficult terrain marked by heavy rainfall and strong winds, officials said.
Shinde said projects such as the missing link would boost access to tourist destinations such as Lohagad Fort, Visapur Fort and Karla Caves.
MP Shrirang Barne, former corporator Abasaheb Bagul, MSRDC Managing Director Anilkumar Gaikwad and senior engineers from executing agencies were present during the inspection, officials said.
Krishnamurthy Subramanian, executive chairman of construction and engineering company Afcons International Private Limited, said the journey to completion of “India’s highest road cable-stayed bridge” was challenging.
“The bridge, located in the Sahyadri region, presented extreme challenges, including narrow ridges that left little room for heavy machinery, sudden wind speeds reaching up to 100 kmph, and dense fog reducing visibility to a few metres. Despite these conditions, we are proud to deliver this engineering marvel,” he said.
The expressway, spanning approximately 95 km, holds the distinction of being India's first access-controlled highway.
