CHENNAI: After much uncertainty surrounding India's tour of Australia, things are finally beginning to fall in place. Cricket Australia (CA) has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for a list of the touring party, which can include family members.
Brisbane is marked as the first stop of a full-fledged tour starting in November-end. The series will commence with three T20Is followed by as many ODIs and four Tests. An official schedule is expected in the coming days and authorities in Australia are even likely to welcome crowds to the stadiums.
Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari and the support staff led by head coach Ravi Shastri will depart for Dubai later this month, undergo quarantine and enter a bio-secure bubble. It is understood that one batch of players - who don't make the IPL play-offs - will leave for Australia with the support staff by November 4. The rest will leave after the final on November 10. However, sources in BCCI have not ruled out the possibility of everyone flying together, as it will make things logistically easier.
If players wish to take their families to Australia, they too have to go via Dubai like others and stay in quarantine in a separate hotel before being allowed to mix with the rest of the team.
While Adelaide is spoken about as India's entry point to Australia, it is understood that CA is in negotiations with the Queensland government to allow them to land in Brisbane, where they will undergo a two-week quarantine. It is learnt that since everyone is travelling from a bio-secure bubble, they will be allowed to train once they test Covid-19 negative after landing.
With regards to the venues and dates, as reported previously by The New Indian Express, Brisbane will host the limited-over legs, with the first T20I beginning on November 27 or November 28 followed by matches on November 29 and December 2.
The ODIs have been slated for December 4, 6 and 9 following which India will play a warm-up fixture (two-day or three-day) among themselves. Indications are that India will be carrying a 28-member squad sans the support staff, which is likely to be reduced to 20 by the time Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins. With all the regulars currently in the UAE, team selection is likely to happen only by the third or fourth week of October.
When it comes to the Test series, Adelaide will host the first match which will be a day/night fixture beginning on December 17. Though the Covid-19 situation remains a cause of concern in Melbourne, CA is prepared to keep MCG in the mix for the Boxing Day Test. A final decision will be taken later.
Following a request from the BCCI, keeping in mind the tight schedule, there will be a week's gap between the second and third Tests. As a result, the New Year Test in Sydney will begin only by January 11 before the teams head back to Brisbane for the fourth and final Test from January 15.
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