Australia vs India 2018-19, Virat Kohli, Greg Chappell | ICC Test Team of the Year 2018 |
ICC Test Team of the Year 2018. Credit: Getty Images

India-Australia is one of the most fiercely contested rivalries in the world of cricket. But with the onslaught of the global pandemic that is the coronavirus has taken the cricketing world by storm. Most of the tournaments and series have been postponed or canceled and threat looms on the blockbuster India-Australia rubber which is scheduled to take place at the end of the year.

 India-Australia Series At A Single Venue
India won the 2018-19 series 2-1 (Photo-Reuters)

With cricket set to remain off the field for an indefinite period, member boards are busy chalking out alternative plans to have as much game time as possible. 2020 was expected to be a big year for Cricket Australia. After having successfully staged the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in February, Cricket Australia was scheduled to rake in a huge moolah with the hosting of Mens T20 World Cup in October followed by the blockbuster four-match India-Australia Test series.

But with Australia under a lockdown till September and its borders closed for a period of six months, Cricket Australia have been forced to chalk out alternative plans, one of them being staging the India-Australia Test series at a single venue.

Responding to the offer by Cricket Australia, one of the officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have called for patience on the ‘premature idea’ stating that the India-Australia series will be worked out once the situation around the coronavirus normalizes.

We haven’t given it a thought as yet. We have a World Cup and Australia is in lockdown (the country has closed its borders to all foreigners for six months) until the end of September. We have to see how they go for that (T20 World Cup). Depending on that, the bilateral series will be worked out,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

Also Read: Nathan Lyon On The Prospect Of India-Australia Series Behind Closed Doors

Can’t rule out any possibilities regarding India-Australia series- CA CEO Kevin Roberts

Recently, Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts had announced that the board is looking at creating a ‘Quarantine hub’ for Virat Kohli’s team by making them stay in 128-room hotel in Adelaide followed by all the matches in the same city in order to avoid unnecessary travel.

“At this point, we won’t rule anything out in terms of the Indian series. Along with the BCCI and the Indian players and support staff, we want to stage a series that inspires the cricket world whether there’s people at the venue, sitting in the stands, or not.”

Roberts also said that both boards want to stage an India-Australia that would inspire the cricket world, irrespective of whether it is played behind closed doors or not.

Also Read: Australia Might Host India In Expanded Test Series From Next Summer