The Board of Control for Cricket in India is working on the dates of the home matches against Australia but it is likely that some matches of the high-profile series will clash with the dates of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
“We have requested Australia to play two Tests and three one-day internationals instead of a series of seven one-dayers,” the BCCI’s chief administrative official Ratnakar Shetty said. The dates for the series are expected to be finalised by next week. Australia are due to arrive in late September and must be home by October 31.
The Commonwealth Games take place in the Capital from October 3 to 14.
When contacted, a Cricket Australia official said his board, in principle, has agreed to tweak the series. “We have said we are happy, in principle, to discuss playing Tests if that is what India so wishes,” Peter Young, CA’s communications manager told DNA.
He, however, was not sure when the dates will be out. “I don’t think James Sutherland (chief executive of CA) expects progress before next week.”
Young said the announcement should come from the Indian side.
“James and Michael Brown, our head of cricket, both firmly believe this is India’s series, not ours, and we have suggested to media they stay in touch with the BCCI as the body which should be making any announcement or holding the public discussion about the details of the series.”
