Cricket Australia (CA) has made it clear that they are open to more tour matches against India when they visit Down Under, as requested by Indian head coach Ravi Shastri.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli & his men will play three T20Is, four Tests, and three ODIs from November 21 to January 18. They will be desperate to put a good show after their recent poor show in South Africa and England.
There were speculations that India struggled due to fewer tour games ahead of the Test series. Thus, Ravi Shastri demanded more practice games ahead of the four-match Test series.
“If you have two or three games against weaker sides we don’t mind because it is a game. But when you have a schedule as tight as this and when you have a memorandum of understanding that has already been formulated, with a choc-a-bloc calendar, there is very little you can do. Now, we have requested for a couple of games in Australia before the Test series. But is there space (to play those matches)? That is the question,” Shastri said to ESPNCricinfo.
Cricket Australia responds
Responding to the same, a CA spokesperson said that they are willing to explore options. However, they are yet to receive any official notification from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“We are happy to discuss options with the BCCI, but we have not received any formal notification to increase the number of tour matches prior to their series commencing in Australia,” Cricket.com.au quoted CA spokesperson, as saying.