India tour of Australia might commence with limited overs fixtures ahead of Test series

According to ESPNCricinfo, Cricket Australia and the BCCI have considered starting India’s tour of Australia later this year with the limited-overs matches ahead of the Test series as an option. Although, there has been no final decision made yet by either board. As per the tentative schedule released by Cricket Australia in May, India’s tour of […]
 
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India tour of Australia might commence with limited overs fixtures ahead of Test series

According to ESPNCricinfo, Cricket Australia and the BCCI have considered starting India’s tour of Australia later this year with the limited-overs matches ahead of the Test series as an option. Although, there has been no final decision made yet by either board.

As per the tentative schedule released by Cricket Australia in May, India’s tour of Australia would have started in October with the three-match T20I series before the T20 World Cup, which has now been pushed back to 2022.

The Test series was scheduled to kick off in Brisbane from December 3. The two teams are then scheduled to travel to Adelaide to play a day-night Test (starting December 11), India’s first on overseas soil. The 3rd Test would be the traditional Boxing Day Test at Melbourne (from December 26) and the New Year’s Test, the four and final one of the series, in Sydney (from January 3, 2021).

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Of course, all of the scheduling is subject to the situation of Australia at that point of time. Factors such as the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in Melbourne, which forced the city into a lockdown that is due to last until mid-September will play a big role in the ultimate allotment of matches.

Another factor is the lack of any free time. Immediately after the ICC deferred the 2020 T20 World Cup to next year, the BCCI announced the IPL in the UAE, with the tournament to be played between September 19 and November 10.

India tour of Australia might commence with limited overs fixtures ahead of Test series

That means players will only be able to start training from around November 26 if they are to land in Australia on November 12. Although teams travelling to England this summer, which also includes Australia’s limited-overs squad, have been able to train during quarantine, that has only been possible due to the ECB-assigned venues having on-site accommodation.

The question of whether India get enough time to play practice matches ahead of the Test matches arise. As per the original schedule, Adelaide is set to host the second Test of the series, which was also slated to be the first pink-ball Test between the two teams.

Indian captain Virat Kohli had insisted that they would want to play a practice match under lights to prepare for the day-night Test. He said the following after their inaugural day-night Test matches against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens, “I think it depends when the Test happens. If it’s the first Test, then obviously before the first game you play (a practice match).”

India tour of Australia might commence with limited overs fixtures ahead of Test series

India played their first-ever day-night Test match last year against Bangladesh

“One of them can be a normal red-ball practice game, and one before the Test could be a pink-ball practice game. But if it’s the second or third Test, I would ideally like more break between the two Tests. And have a practice game before the pink-ball Test, obviously under lights. So it can’t be that before the tour you play a pink-ball practice game and then the (pink-ball) Test is actually the third.”

Afghanistan’s first ever Test match on Australian soil against the hosts also counts as a key factor. It was slated to be held between November 21-25 at Perth as a day-night fixture. Apparently, Cricket Australia communicated to Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) recently stating that Test could start from November 24. As it stands, that Test remains on paper, and if it goes ahead it will leave only four days before the first Test of the India tour scheduled at the Gabba.

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That is where the option of starting the India tour with limited-overs cricket appears viable. With most of the players set to come from the IPL, they would not need extra training for white-ball cricket. Also, all six matches can be played at just one venue, thus minimising the health risk.

If the T20I and ODI series are wrapped up by December 10, it leaves India with the option of playing one intra-squad practice match before the first Test, which could start on December 18. With the standard three-day gap between matches, the Test series could then be wrapped up by January 15, allowing India to be back home to prepare for the home series against England, which is currently scheduled to begin in late January.

It goes without saying that the two boards acknowledge that the schedule must remain a set of moving parts due to COVID-19. Ben Oliver, CA’s head of national teams, has stated there remain “challenges” about finalising the itinerary, but he remains “optimistic” about the Australia fulfilling the international schedule this summer.

Oliver said, “We are really excited about the home Test summer, both the first Test against Afghanistan and the four scheduled against India. We are doing everything we can to get those matches played, to be honest it’s not without its challenges, there is some complexity in the schedule and our ability to move around the country but we have great support and commitment from our various partners including Afghanistan and India.

“We are working through that now and everyone is committed to getting as much cricket played as possible. In the same way as this tour of England it’s with health and safety at the forefront of our thinking and the non-negotiable of our commitment to public health. We remain optimistic about delivering the full Test summer.”