The coronavirus pandemic has forced a halt on cricket action throughout the globe. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has already begun to ponder over the possibility of change of rules once cricket resumes, taking into consideration the safety of cricketers and those involved in the game.
The debate over the use of saliva and sweat on the ball has been doing the rounds ever since it was reported last month that ICC is considering an amendment on certain laws relating to ball-tampering. But is it the only rule that will change?
A report from Sportstar suggests that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) is also considering the possibility of playing multiple international matches on the same day. While India's three-match ODI series against South Africa was cancelled in March due to coronavirus pandemic, many other international tours with addition to the 13th edition of Indian Premier League have also been postponed indefinitely.
Hence, the BCCI may opt to play more than one international match on the same day to make up for the lost time.
"None of us know when sport, especially international cricket will resume. But if we have to safeguard all our stakeholders - from sponsors to spectators - one of the options is to select two different squads and play a Test series and a T20I series simultaneously," a BCCI official told Sportstar on the condition of anonymity.
The report also said that the idea has also been discussed with the Indian coaching staff.
In the last Test match India played in February 2020, six players in the XI (Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin) are primarily the side's specialists in the longest format. Mayank did appear for the side in ODIs during the same tour but it was at the expense of Rohit Sharma, who was injured at the time.
It will be interesting to see how the Indian team lines up in two formats on the same day. In 2017, Australia played two different series simultaneously as well -- even if both the teams didn't play on the same day. On February 22, 2017, Australia hosted Sri Lanka for a T20I at the Adelaide Oval and played against India in India in a Test match on the next day.
