Board of Control for Cricket in India treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal has suggested India are willing to be quarantined for up two weeks to be allowed to tour Australia later this year.
India are scheduled to tour Australia for four Tests and three ODIs across December 2020 and January 2021. The series, however, are in doubt amid preventative measures being taken against the spread of the coronavirus.
“There is no choice – everyone will have to do that. You would want to resume the cricket,” Dhumal told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Two weeks is not that long a lockdown. That would be ideal for any sportsman because when you are in quarantine for such a long period, then going to another country and having a two-week lockdown it would be a good thing to do. We'll have to see what the norms are post this lockdown.”
A fifth Test might be added to the tour. Dhumal, however, would prefer the addition of extra limited-overs fixtures, which would generate more revenue for Cricket Australia and the BCCI.
“That discussion on five Tests took place before the lockdown,” he added. “If there is a window available it would be up to the boards to decide whether they wanted to go for a Test match or maybe two ODIs or maybe two T20s. Given the revenue loss they will have on account of lockdown, post-lockdown they will want to have revenue and revenue most likely will come from ODIs or T20s much more than a Test match.
“For any board for that matter, there has been a lot of revenue loss on account of this lockdown and Covid-19, so they would need to think about that.”
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is among several cricket tournaments suspended due to the spread of the virus. The Mumbai Indians are the reigning IPL champions. They have won the title four times. The Chennai Super Kings have won three finals. The Kolkata Knight Riders have won two finals.
The England and Wales Cricket Board have also postponed The Hundred. The Caribbean Premier League might go ahead as scheduled. The CPL is due to run from 19 August to 26 September 2020.