The plan includes Kohli’s team starting a six-game white-ball run against Australia at the SCG the day they come out of quarantine.
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Under NSW’s proposal, India’s players will be able to train while completing their 14-day period in isolation, whereas the Queensland government wanted the visitors to stay at a resort to avoid exposure to the public while travelling from their hotel to training.
Sources familiar with the schedule have said Sydney will host four of the six matches between Australia and India (the teams are playing three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals before a four-Test series) and Canberra will stage the other two. These matches were slated to be held in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Queensland’s intransigence is shaping as a massive boon for Sydney, which will gain significant global exposure with what is shaping as a festival of sport. The city will play host to State of Origin, the Wallabies and now the world’s most watched cricket team.
Cricket officials are confident they will be able to sell out the SCG four times, with the venue’s capacity reduced to 23,000 by COVID-19 restrictions. Sydney is home to a large Indian diaspora who rarely get to see Kohli’s side play live.
The first two ODIs are now scheduled to be held at the SCG on November 27 and 29, with Australia and India then heading to Canberra for the third ODI and the first match of the T20 series before the last two T20 games back in Sydney on December 6 and 8.
Under the reworked schedule, which was still to be confirmed, the first Test would be held in Adelaide from December 17 to 21 before Melbourne stages the Boxing Day Test from December 26 to 30, Sydney hosts the New Year’s Test from January 7 to 11 and Brisbane holds the fourth match from January 15 to 19.
It’s expected the squads for the limited-overs matches will be announced once the fixture is released.
The impending release of the international schedule will ease some of the pressure CA is facing from Seven West Media in their high-stakes broadcast rights feud, which is set to head to the Australian Chamber of International and Commercial Arbitration.
The network is seeking a reduction in fees due to the uncertainty over the schedule caused by the pandemic and concerns over the quality of the Big Bash League.
CA have offered a small reduction but believe they will honour their obligations by staging a full international and BBL season.
CA hopes the border between NSW and Queensland will be open by then.