India is set to tour Australia for an important 5-match Test series in Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-45. This will be of a lot of importance as it will be the final assignment for India in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship.

India has mostly seen success against Australia, and will be aiming to continue their dominance with another victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a series which they have not lost since 2017.

The BGT 2024-25 will also be the first Test between India and Australia after the WTC final last year. Australia faced a heavy defeat in that final, as the Indian team will be looking forward to claim another Test series win against Australia.

To gear up for the upcoming series, the Indian team has opted to not play any Australian teams in practice matches before the series begins. The team has decided to part for Australia two weeks before the first Test, scheduled to start from November 22.

According to a report by PTI, The BGT champions will engage in a one or two intra-squad matches against India ‘A’.

Team India's tentative itinerary

It is understood that the Test squad will be leaving from Mumbai few days after the series and just like it happened during the last tour of South Africa, the BCCI could have a four-day game between India and India A, which people in the know of things feel will provide Rohit Sharma's men with quality match simulation.

The India A team is also supposed to play a couple of A Tests and that particular squad, comprising the country's bench strength, is expected to leave the Indian shores by October 25 for its series.

Lack of practice an issue on foreign Test tours

The BCCI has over the years witnessed a decline in quality of practice matches and there came a time during Mahendra Singh Dhoni's tenure as Test captain when most of these tour games got unofficial status so that all 15 in the squad could bat and bowl.

Earlier, these matches -- normally of three-day duration -- would have first-class status.

India vs India A intra-squad game

It was before the 2021 World Test Championship final in England, during the peak COVID-19 crisis, that the senior team introduced the concept of intra-squad game in proper whites and with umpires, but the A team shadow tours were stopped during that phase.

It was during the 2023-24 series in South Africa that both India A and India were present in South Africa at the same time.

In between the two 'A' Tests, the second-string did take on the main team before the latter's opening game at the Centurion.

“Normally, home countries nowadays don't want to provide their best domestic talent for practice. It always helps in quality match practice if a bunch of India hopefuls are pitted against the stars. These are players knocking on the doors and eager to perform,” a BCCI insider said.

India to face Prime Minister's XI before Pink-Ball Test

Before the second Test in Adelaide from December 6-10, which is a pink-ball affair, the India senior team will play a two-day day/night pink ball game at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on November 30 and December 1 against Prime Minister's XI, to prepare for the main fixture.

This will be a time when two separate Indian teams will be in two different countries at the same time.

As the Test team gears up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a World Test Championship final at stake, the Suryakumar Yadav-led T20 team will play 4 matches in South Africa between November 8-15.

It is expected that the squad that is playing against Bangladesh will be retained for that series.

The India 'A' team for Australia will be selected after the first round of Ranji Trophy games (from October 11-14).

The senior national selection committee will also pick an India U-25 squad next week for the Emerging Asia Cup, which will be held in Muscat this year.

India's Test Tour of Australia

First Test: November 22-26, Perth

Second Test: December 6-10, Adelaide

Third Test: December 14-18, Brisbane

Fourth Test: December 26-30, Melbourne

Fifth Test: January 3-7, Sydney.

India's T20I Tour of South Africa

1st T20I: November 8 (Durban)

2nd T20I: November 10 (Gqeberha)

3rd T20I: November 13 (Centurion)

4th T20I: November 15 (Johannesburg).

The Indian team is expected to leave for Australia at least two weeks prior to the first Test starting November 22 in Perth and will be playing one or two intra-squad matches against their ‘A’ team colleagues as a tune-up to the opening fixture.

Coincidentally, India ‘A’ and Australia ‘A’ will already be competing in a two first-class matches series. The opening four-day match between them will be played in Mackay (October 31-November 3). Meanwhile, the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the second clash, from November 7-10.

As per reports, the senior team will be locking horns in an intra-squad match against India A from November 15-17. For Rohit and company, this match is a crucial opportunity to fine-tune their skills and identify any areas where they need to improve before the all-important BGT showdown!

The Indian cricket team first tried out intra-squad matches with proper uniforms and umpires during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, right before the World Test Championship final, which they ultimately lost against New Zealand. In 2023-24, both the main Indian team and the India ‘A’ team were in South Africa at the same time. Before the main team’s first Test match, the India ‘A’ team played a practice match.

A BCCI official said that it’s usually difficult for home countries to provide their best domestic players for practice matches. They believe that it’s more beneficial for India’s up-and-coming players to face off against the established stars. Before the second Test in Adelaide, which will be played with a pink ball, the Indian team will play a two-day day/night match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra to prepare.