In a response to Indian head coach Ravi Shastri's publicly admitted request for a "couple of warm-up games" to BCCI leading upto the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year, Cricket Australia has expressed that they are open to the Idea of providing the tourists more game time in the middle ahead of the much awaited four-match Test series. 

Having lost the series in England 4-1, with questions raised over the quality of India's preparations for the Test series, Shastri cleared that he has requested the BCCI to arrange some warm-up games before the series in Australia. 

While India's tour kicks off with a three-match T20I series starting November 21, the main attraction - Border-Gavaskar Trophy - begins with the first Test at Adelaide on December 6. 

Meanwhile, on Friday, September 14, CA cleared that they are yet to receive any official request from the BCCI but they are definitely open to the idea of providing adequate preparation to the tourists, which serves the larger good of Test match Cricket. 

"We are happy to discuss options with the BCCI," a CA spokesperson was quoted saying, "but we have not received any formal notification to increase the number of tour matches prior to their series commencing in Australia," 

Speaking in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, when asked whether he and his team are opposed to the idea of practice matches, Shastri said, "Why would we be? You can see the results (in England). Every time after the second Test we have improved. You can still get better. But why can't we be in that position in the first Test match?" and added, "If you have two or three games against weaker sides we don't mind because it is a game. But when you have a schedule as tight as this ... there is very little you can do. These are things that have been approved earlier."

India has never won a Test series in Australia yet, with their best results being a drawn series in 1981 and 2003-04. 

(Inputs from Cricket.com.au)