Indian cricket team’s schedule for Australia tour set to undergo more changes 

The Indian cricket team and their Australian counterparts were banking on situation to improve after the coronavirus pandemic so that a proposed Test tour could go ahead as scheduled in December.

However, that seems unlikely with COVID-19 cases rising rapidly in India, with that tally nudging above 9,30,000 at last count. Subsequently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is facing the possibility of making further changes to the Indian cricket team's proposed tour Down Under.

The BCCI were hoping that a national camp for the centrally-contracted Indian cricket team players could possibly be organized sometime in the month of July. However with an average daily increase of around 29000 new Coronavirus cases, lockdown guidelines in India have remained stringent.

"Please remember, without the central government and respective state government approvals, the BCCI cannot do anything," a report in the Times of India newspaper read.

The BCCI is still trying to organize the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League in the months of September-October, even if it means taking the T20 tournament out of India.

If IPL 2020 goes ahead in this time period, the Indian cricket team will need to forego playing a three-match T20 series in Australia, which was supposed to take place before the Test series.

"The present (interim) schedule for Australia tour was released by Cricket Australia (CA) with the first Test to begin on December 3. Also, to note is a three-match T20 series that was scheduled ahead of the Tests, to be followed by a three-match ODI series.

"One of those two - either T20s or ODIs - will have to be cancelled. Most likely the T20s because the format was put in place keeping the T20 World Cup in Australia in mind. Now, that' not happening, and IPL is. The start of the Test series will also be pushed by a week," sources informed Times of India.

Indian cricket team slated to host England after their tour Down Under

After the conclusion of their tour Down Under, the Indian cricket team is scheduled to host England at home. It is expected that more changes could be made to that series schedule to compensate the host broadcaster for the massive losses they incurred after the cancellation of South Africa series earlier this year.

"Changes will be made to that schedule too. England are likely to play three Tests in India instead of five, followed by five T20s and five ODIs. That will also help compensate the host broadcaster who lost the India-South Africa series in March due to COVID-19," sources close to the development said.

The BCCI will also look to make up for lost revenue from the IPL by organizing the 14th edition of the tournament as early as March 2021.