Cricket Australia (CA) is likely to accept BCCI and Indian team management's request to provide two proper red-ball games before the start of the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year.
While there is only one three-day warm-up game scheduled between the 3 T20Is series and the first Test at Adelaide beginning December 6, according to a report on Indian Express, that will most probably be changed, with skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri making a formal request to CoA to add another fixture, on which BCCI is understood to have negotiated with CA already.
Cricket Australia is considering the possible tweak in the schedule to accommodate the extra preparatory fixture, which might just take place soon after the third T20I on November 25, or begin on exactly the same day with only Test specialists participating.
The possibility has added broadcasting and financial concerns to CA, where it feels, India not featuring their key players in the T20I series finale can be an obstacle to Fox Sports, which would definitely want to properly encash the occasion.
A BCCI official was quoted saying, regarding the development, as, “Talks have been positive. There should be an official announcement soon. After the team made a request for another practice match, we had to find a way to slot it in. CA has been extremely helpful in understanding the situation,”
Earlier Indian Captain Virat Kohli expressed creating match-like situations during practice instead of playing warm-up games, where, he feels, the quality of the opposition served may not be good enough to provide adequate preparation for Test Cricket.
In line with this, India cancelled their only practice match in South Africa, and converted a three-day match against Essex before their five-match Test series in England, into a two-day fixture.
Subsequently, the team missed out on a great opportunity and lost 2-1 and 4-1 in both countries. This may have enforced a change in stance, as India now look set to play two proper warm-up games before the crucial first Test in Australia.
