The Indian cricket team is set to embark on a crucial tour of Australia, with the first Test match scheduled to commence on November 22 in Perth. To prepare for the highly anticipated series, the team is expected to depart for Australia at least two weeks prior to the opening fixture.
During their stay in Australia, the Indian team will engage in one or two intra-squad matches against their ‘A’ team counterparts. These matches will serve as a valuable tune-up for the Test series, providing the players with an opportunity to acclimatize to the Australian conditions and test their skills against a competitive opposition.
The Indian senior team’s home Test series against New Zealand will conclude on November 5 in Mumbai. Following the series, the Test squad is expected to depart from Mumbai within a few days. Similar to their previous tour of South Africa, the BCCI is considering organizing a four-day game between India and India A. This match is expected to provide Rohit Sharma’s men with a high-quality match simulation.
The India A team is also scheduled to play a couple of A Tests during their tour of Australia. The squad, comprising the country’s bench strength, is expected to leave India by October 25.
In recent years, the BCCI has observed a decline in the quality of practice matches. During Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s tenure as Test captain, many of these tour games were granted unofficial status to allow all 15 members of the squad to bat and bowl.
However, the senior team reintroduced the concept of intra-squad games during the 2021 World Test Championship final in England. These matches are played in proper whites and officiated by umpires, providing a more realistic match experience.
During the 2023-24 series in South Africa, both India A and India were present in the country simultaneously. In between the two ‘A’ Tests, the second-string team faced off against the main team before the latter’s opening game at the Centurion.
“Normally, home countries nowadays don’t want to provide their best domestic talent for practice. It always helps in quality match practice if a bunch of India hopefuls are pitted against the stars. These are players knocking on the doors and eager to perform,” said a BCCI insider.
In preparation for the second Test in Adelaide, which will be played under lights with a pink ball, the Indian senior team will participate in a two-day day/night pink ball game at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on November 30 and December 1 against Prime Minister’s XI.
During the Test series, two separate Indian teams will be competing in different countries simultaneously. While the Test team gears up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a World Test Championship final at stake, the Suryakumar Yadav-led T20 team will play four matches in South Africa between November 8-15.
The India ‘A’ team for Australia will be selected after the first round of Ranji Trophy games (from October 11-14). The senior national selection committee will also pick an India U-25 squad next week for the Emerging Asia Cup, which will be held in Muscat this year.
