Melbourne: The Indian cricket team will get an additional Day/Night warm-up game in Sydney as a tune-up to the series-opening Pink Ball Test against Australia in Adelaide from December 17, the host board announced on Wednesday unveiling the full schedule of the 69-day engagement.
The tour will include a 14-day quarantine-cum-training period in Sydney starting November 12 for the Indians who will fly in after the IPL final on November 10.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin with a day-night encounter at the Adelaide Oval on December 17, followed by Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26), the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7) and the Gabba (January 15).
As per BCCI’s demands, there is a week’s gap between the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and the New Year’s Test at the SCG.
According to the release, the three-match ODI Series will have matches at the Sydney Cricket Ground (Nov 27, 29) and Manuka Oval, Canberra (Dec 2).
That will be followed by the three-match T20 International Series at Manuka Oval, Canberra (December 4) and the Sydney Cricket Ground (December 6, 8).
The white-ball matches will be held in two cities — Sydney and Canberra.
The Adelaide fixture will be the first day-night Test played between the two teams.
25,000 spectators for
Boxing Day Test
A cap of 25,000 — which is one-fourth of the total capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground — has been kept for the Boxing Day Test to be played between Australia and India this year amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The historic MCG, meanwhile, has been confirmed to host Test cricket for further three years.
This was after Cricket Australia, MCC and the Victorian government announced a three-year venue hire agreement for the MCG, starting with the 31st Boxing Day Test to be played in 2020. (Agencies)
