If reports from the Mumbai Mirror are to be believed then the Indian fans might get to see two separate India teams playing two different matches at two different venues simultaneously in Australia.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking for two separate Indian teams in action at two different Australian venues with two different sets of support staff.
This arrangement might be the result of the request of BCCI to provide two warm-up games before the start of the first Test in Adelaide on December 6. Given the short gap between the Twenty20 International series and the first Test, the administrators of both sides are looking at the option of scheduling simultaneous games, albeit in different formats.
The Indian team will reach Australia in the third week of November after the white ball series against West Indies ends on November 11.
Cricket Australia (CA) is thinking of various possibilities and has slotted one game at the end of November at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) but how to squeeze in another game before the first Test has been a troublesome operational and arrangement issue.
But Mumbai Mirror has learned that it is likely to be staged during the time of three Twenty20 Internationals (November 21, Gabba, November 23, MCG and November 25, SCG). The Tests specialists will be playing the four-day warm-up game and the overlapping white-ball players will take part in the Twenty20I series.
“It is happening, we have been assured of two warm-up games,” said a source in the ruling BCCI. The players, who play both formats, particularly
“This is the preparation from our side. If we get a second match, which we are almost confident about, this is the plan,” BCCI source said. A CA spokesman refused to discuss the matter saying, “Any updates to tour matches will be officially announced. We don’t provide running commentary on our discussions.”
However, now it is almost certain that Test specialist players like
(Inputs: Mumbai Mirror)
