India's Test schedule until 2023 planned

India have a hectic period of Test match cricket commencing from 2015

There is good news for Indian cricket fans wanting to see more of their team in action. It has been confirmed that, from 2015 to 2023, India will be playing 20 Tests against England, 16 against Australia and 12 against South Africa. There are also six bilateral series scheduled against Pakistan, during the same period, which will go ahead provided there is no political interference.

The BCCI has also decided to split the Test and ODI tours to Australia, which means that the tour to Australia in December 2014, consisting of both Test matches and ODIs, will be the last of its kind.

“We would have obviously liked long tours both home and away with key countries,” Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary who is now also a part of the ICC governance committee said.

“However, Australia are unwilling to tour for more than six weeks anywhere except England, so we have also decided to split the Test and ODI tours to Australia.”

The reason for the BCCI’s decision to split the Tests and ODIs, according to Patel, is to allow the Indian team to play more series at home, which will, in turn, allow the prominent Indian players to be more active participants in domestic cricket.

“Over the last few years, the participation of main players in domestic tournaments has been on a decline,” he said. “So the decision to play more series at home would help them play domestic cricket.”

Patel also insisted that the revamped ICC revenue model will not only favour the Big 3 of India, Australia and England but all ten full members of the ICC in comparison to the previous model. He also said that the additional revenue to be earned as a result of the new financial model, which will apparently fetch the ICC $670 million over the next cycle, will benefit the affiliate members of the BCCI as well as domestic cricketers.

“With the additional revenue, all the BCCI members would take home much more cricket development fund, which would help creating top-class infrastructure in smaller centres,” Patel said. “Besides, there will be a substantial rise in match-fees of all the domestic players.”