India will be hosting 81 international matches – 30 more than the current Future Tours Programme (FTP) – across all formats between 2019-2023. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said after the Special General Meeting (SGM) in New Delhi on Monday that the total number of matchdays will go down from 390 to 306 (excluding ICC World Cup and Champions Trophy which India will host during the period).
This means India will play more limited-overs cricket than Tests over the next four years.The new FTP will mainly include matches against Australia, England and South Africa.
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Earlier, Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli complained about his team’s hectic international schedule ahead of their crucial tour of South Africa.
“Had we got a month off ideally, we would have done a proper preparation in a camp sort of scenario. But we have to sort of make do with what we have,” said Kohli ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Nagpur.
The BCCI also decided to revoke the four-year suspension of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) and the board also refused to accept the demand of getting the dope tests done through the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). RCA’s return will be conditional on the state body giving undertakings that it will have no links with ousted Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman and RCA president Lalit Modi.
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India are also set to host Afghanistan for their debut Test next year after they became full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2017.
“Afghans were scheduled to play their first Test in 2019 versus Australia but considering the historic relationship between India and Afghanistan, we decided to host their first Test,” said BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary.
(With inputs from PTI)
Source: HindustanTimes