India’s tour of Australia could start with limited-overs instead of Tests: Report

A combination of factors including schedule, player fatigue and viability could mean India's tour of Australia could reportedly start with the limited-overs leg instead of the four Tests later this year.

There has been no official confirmation from BCCI or Cricket Australia on the change of schedule but according to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the discussion to start the series with ODIs and T20Is is already on the table.

According to the tentative schedule released by Cricket Australia in May this year, India were slated to play three T20Is ahead of the T20 World Cup, which has now been postponed, three ODIs and four Tests starting from December 3 at Brisbane.

Because of changes in schedule due to Covid -19 pandemic, the T20Is were postponed to 2022 before the T20 World in Australia and it was determined that India will start their tour with the Test series.

"The one big advantage of playing half-a-dozen white-ball matches - T20Is and ODIs - at the front end of the tour will mean no games are lost from the original schedule after it was expected that the T20Is would be shifted to 2022 alongside the World Cup in the same format," stated the report.

If it does happen then that would mean India will have to fly with a large squad with their Test and T20I specialists together just like Pakistan did for their ongoing England tour.

"That schedule is likely to change due to a combination of factors, one of which is the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in Melbourne, which forced the city into a lockdown that is due to last until mid-September. Consequently, matches are likely to be played at reduced venues to ensure there is minimal movement and players are safe within the bubble. A Test series spaced across four cities and as many states is increasingly unlikely," the report added.

Another major factor is the one-off Test between Australia and Afghanistan which is supposed to be a day-night affair. CA apparently has already conveyed the Afghanistan Cricket Board of the start-date of the Test match to be shifted from the original 21st of November to 24th, which will leave only a four-day gap between it and the first India Test.

The report states, starting India series with limited-overs instead will be a better idea for both India and Australia cricketers. Indian cricketers too won't have much time to prepare for the Test series as the in-house facilities like England are yet not finalised by Australia, which could well mean that Virat Kohli's men have to spend their two-weeks of quarantine without much cricket practice.