Guyana: The Padma Shri award winner Prof Ravi Chaturvedi is supporting the cause of setting up test matches, in the upcoming Indian tour of West Indies, at T&T and Guyana. The BCCI has declared that they will resume all bilateral relations with West Indies, this happened as they signed off the 2016 Indian tour of the Caribbean. It seems that the BCCI has put all bad blood behind them, and have recommence their bilateral relations after they were severed in 2014.

During the months of July and August four test matches will be played in Antigua, St Lucia, Jamaica and T&T. The eminent author and commentator , Chaturvedi, has toured West Indies on five occasions and believes that at least one match should be played at T&T and Guyana , seeing the Indian diaspora in the countries.

He said "My 1976 commentary stint from the West Indies enabled me to understand all that can be done at various levels to foster stronger friendship with the fanciful Caribbean islands. The reciprocity in the areas of culture, commerce and politics need to be strengthened."

"In view of the ongoing ICC Twenty20 World Cup, my focus consequently will only be on cricket as a strong bond between the West Indies and India. With nearly 45 per cent of the population being people of Indian origin in Guyana and T&T, one feels while planning the West Indies tour, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago must get a match whenever Indian team tours West Indies."

"In fact, the ideal situation would be to have both the Tests and ODIs in these two countries as permanent fixtures in the future Indian tours of the Caribbean. With Shashank Manohar and Anurag Thakur at the helm of the affairs of the BCCI and Dave Cameron in charge of the WICB, the point may be taken to its logical conclusion. The Indian High Commissions at Georgetown and Port-of-Spain may also chip in with their opinion to strengthen my point of view."

"My suggestion was favourably received by the two then presidents of the West Indies Board, the late Jeff Stollmeyer in 1976 and Wes Hall in 2002."

Credits: Guardian