CA agrees to BCCI's request, India get an extra day of match-practice before Test series

India tour of Australia: BCCI had put forward a word to CA on India head coach Ravi Shastri’s insistence to increase the duration of the practice match since it was India’s only chance to acclimatize with the conditions before the real deal begins.

India will have an extra day of match-practice before their four-match Test series in Australia kickstarts on December 6 at Adelaide as Cricket Australia agreed to BCCI’s request of making the three-day warm-up match a four-day affair.

The warm-up match – the only one before the Test series - which was originally slated to begin on November 29, will now begin a day earlier on November 28 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

BCCI had put forward a word to CA on India head coach Ravi Shastri’s insistence to increase the duration of the practice match since it was India’s only chance to acclimatize with the conditions before the real deal begins a week later.

"We can confirm the tour match between the Cricket Australia XI and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground will now be a four-day match, starting on November 28," a CA spokesperson told Cricket Australia.

"We have worked with the BCCI around a request for additional match preparation for their team ahead of the four-match Domain Test Series against Australia, and were happy to accommodate this by scheduling an extra day as part of this fixture, at the same venue of the fourth Test match of the series."

India were heavily criticized for being underprepared in South Africa and England. India did not even play a single warm-up match in South Africa and had reduced their only practice match to an unofficial two-day affair England. The result was a 1-2 defeat in South Africa and an even more alarming 1-4 loss to England.

Meanwhile, India’s Test specialists – Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Parthiv Patel and Hanuma Vihari - who were with India A squad in New Zealand, arrived in Sydney on Tuesday.

India’s Australia tour begins with a three-match T20I series on Wednesday.  

Here’s the complete schedule

First T20: November 21, the Gabba

Second T20: November 23, MCG

Third T20: November 25, SCG

Tests Series

First Test: December 6-10, Adelaide Oval

Second Test: December 14-18, Perth Stadium

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 3-7, SCG

ODI Series

First ODI: January 12, SCG (D/N)

Second ODI: January 15, Adelaide Oval (D/N)

Third ODI: January 18, MCG (D/N)