India Open To Playing All Tests At The Adelaide Oval On The Australian Tour: Arun Dhumal

India, led by Virat Kohli, will be open to playing all of their four Tests of the Australian tour at a single venue, Arun Dhumal, the treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI], was quoted as saying by Reuters on Friday (May 15).

India is scheduled to tour Australia for four Border Gavaskar Trophy Tests followed by three One-day Internationals at the end of the year but with the proliferation of the pandemic that is the coronavirus, Cricket Australia has been forced to look at contingency plans in order to ensure that the AU$ 300 million dollar tour goes ahead.

Dhumal had recently said that India is open to a two-week quarantine period in the lead-up to the series, should the T20 World Cup gets called-off. And, now him saying that India is ready to play each of their Test matches at the Adelaide Oval, signs are looking good for the tour to go ahead.

“The boys would be very keen to go back to the field. If the situation allows only one venue for all the matches, so be it. Maybe when lockdown is lifted, it would be the new normal that everyone has to follow,” Arun Dhumal told Reuters.

Also Read: BCCI Not Eager In Expanding Test Series Against Australia Down Under: Report

‘We’ll take the right call’- Arun Dhumal on India tour of Australia

The Test series- if it goes ahead- will be played behind closed doors and Dhumal said what nobody will like that, the current situation gives them no choice but to go ahead with playing behind closed doors. He also added that the right call will be made keeping the player’s health and safety in mind.

“There’s talk of matches without spectators. Nobody would like that, but if it comes to that and there’s no other way, one may have to do that. It’s still six-seven months down the line. We’ll take the right call in the best interest of the safety and health of our boys.” Dhumal added.

Meanwhile, Australian middle-order batsman Travis Head also reckoned that playing all the Tests in Adelaide, where an on-sight 5-star hotel is under construction, is the best possible option in the current circumstances.

Cricket Australia had proposed the idea of adding an additional Test to the series but Sourav Ganguly, BCCI President, recently shrugged off the offer when he said that the tour might get curtailed due to the pandemic. The last time India visited Australia, Virat Kohli’s side scripted history as they became the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Reckons India’s Tour Of Australia Might Be Shortened Due To The COVID-19 Crisis