India may begin Australia tour with limited-overs leg

India might play their limited-overs leg of the Australian tour before they move on to the marquee Border-Gavaskar Test series according to a report by ESPNCricinfo. However, there is still no decision believed to be taken by the BCCI and Cricket Australia.

India’s extended tour of Australia was scheduled to kick off in October with a 3-match T20I series as a dress rehearsal for the T20 World cup, but with the tournament postponed to 2022, the T20I series was also expected to be discarded. However, if the limited-overs fixtures are played prior to the Test series, the tour could possibly feature a T20I series as well. The post-T20 World cup leg is scheduled to begin on 3rd December with the Test match at Brisbane, and conclude with the New Year’s Test in Sydney beginning 3rd January 2021.

The schedule is subject to change, owing to a multitude of factors. The rising number of COVID-19 cases in Melbourne, the venue for the boxing day Test, being at the top of the list. There’s an effort to ensure the games are played across a minimum number of venues, and a Test series spread across four cities is seemingly unlikely.

There is also a time crunch that might force a change in schedule. With the BCCI announcing the IPL soon after the ICC’s move to postpone the T20 World cup, many of the players who shall be boarding the plane to Australia are likely to be engaged till the 10th of November. Taking into consideration the earliest flight dates and the quarantine rules, the earliest the teams can begin training would be close to the 26th of November. Unlike England which has on-site accommodation facilities at training centres, Australia only boasts of such a possibility at one venue - the Adelaide Oval, which would mean the teams cannot train during the quarantine period, leaving them only a week to prepare for the first Test of the series if the schedule is left untouched, which is hardly ideal preparation for one of the toughest countries to travel to.

If the limited-overs leg acts as the curtain-raiser for the tour, players would not need much of an adjustment period, with most of them flying-in directly after playing in the IPL. Health risks can also be contained with there being a possibility of a single venue hosting all the six games.

Cricket Australia has acknowledged that they have to remain flexible with their scheduling amidst challenges if they are to pull off a successful summer of cricket.

"We are really excited about the home Test summer, both the first Test against Afghanistan and the four scheduled against India,” said Ben Oliver, CA's head of national teams."

"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."

[ESPNCricinfo inputs]