50 percent spectators allowed for India-England T20I series in Ahmedabad

Fifty percent crowd attendance has been allowed for the India-England T20I series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The India-England series begins with the first of the five matches scheduled for Friday.

The Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) announced that the decision has been taken, keeping the COVID-19 pandemic in mind. Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) vice-president Dhanraj Nathwani said in a media release.

"We are going to use only 50% seating capacity at the Narendra Modi Stadium for all the T20 International matches to be played here due to COVID-19 pandemic."

He further assured that all the COVID-19 protocols are being followed. Elaborating on the safety arrangements, the GCA vice-president said:

"The entire stadium has been sanitized, considering safety of the spectators. All COVID-19 guidelines are being strictly adhered to and special task force committees have been set up to ensure that all required safety measures are implemented and followed.”

The first India-England Test was played without any crowd in Chennai. The other three Test matches saw a 50 percent crowd attendance, with the last two games being played in Ahmedabad.

After the T20Is, India and England will lock horns in the ODI series, starting on March 23 in Pune.

It's Match Day!#TeamIndia is all set to take on England in the first T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium.Are you ready?@Paytm #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/oryttOFj0T

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 12, 2021

We have explosive guys who can change the game: Virat Kohli on India-England T20Is

Ahead of the first India-England T20I game, Virat Kohli said that the team has made changes to address the lack of aggression in the previous series. He explained:

"We have played with a certain kind of pattern in the past. But, if you look at the squad for this (England) series, the additions we have made, we have tried to address a few things that we needed in specific. Guys, who can be X-factors (Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant) with the bat and do things, are the need of the hour in T20 cricket."

"From this series onwards, we are going to play a different brand of T20 cricket. There are some very exciting X-factor players in our team now. These guys have shown their prowess on a regular basis in the IPL. Now, it will be interesting to see how they go about in these five games," he further added.

️🗣️ "Very glad to have Bhuvi back."Ahead of the @Paytm #INDvENG T20I series opener, #TeamIndia skipper @imVkohli speaks about @BhuviOfficial's return to the side 👍👍 pic.twitter.com/26DCpBbd90

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 11, 2021

The India-England T20I series will be crucial for both teams as it will help them gear up for the T20 World Cup to be played in India later this year.