BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has said that participating in five Tests during the Australia tour later this year will not be possible for the Indian team.
There have been significant discussions over the fate of India's tour of Australia later this year, which includes four Test matches beginning from November. The coronavirus outbreak has put a halt to cricketing action around the world, and it is unknown whether the T20 World Cup -- also scheduled to take place in Australia, will begin as per the schedule.
The cricketing fraternity in Australia has reiterated that the board may face a huge loss if India's tour to Australia is cancelled. Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts had earlier expressed the desire to host five-Test series instead of four.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, however, has said that it may not be a feasible option.
"I don't think it will be possible for India to participate in five Tests. There will be limited-overs games and plus we have to consider the 14-day quarantine guidelines. All this will extend the tour," Ganguly was quoted as saying by Mid-day.
India are scheduled to take part in ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka (away) and England (home), as well as the Asia Cup T20 tournament before the World Cup.
The side will play three ODIs and three T20Is in addition to four Test matches in Australia, before hosting England for a five-Test series in January 2021.
Earlier, terming their relationship with the BCCI as 'strong', Roberts had said a five-Test series is a possibility but not a certainty.
"There's no certainty about that [five-Test series] for the coming season, but what I can say is that the relationship between the BCCI and Cricket Australia is really strong," Roberts told reporters on a video call last month.
"We've discussed a shared desire to evolve to five-Test series between Australia and India in the future. It's something we've both committed to in principle in the future, the big question is whether or not we can bring that in before the next future tours cycle in 2023.
"We don't know what prospect there is of that next season, but certainly with a changing landscape...we won't rule out a possibility of that until we get closer to the time," he added.
(With inputs from IANS)
