Kolkata: Sachin Tendulkar is all set to play his 200th Test match on home soil with the BCCI trying to squeeze in a series against the West Indies ahead of the year-end tour of South Africa.
The decision to invite West Indies for two Tests and five one-dayers was taken at the working committee meeting here today.
“We have sent a proposal to the West Indies Cricket Board in this regard. We are hopeful of working out the modalities for the series,” a top BCCI official said.
The series against West Indies will provide Tendulkar a chance to complete the historic milestone of playing 200 Tests in front of home fans.
Mumbai and Kolkata are the likely venues for the much-anticipated matches and the final decision will be taken by the BCCI's tours and fixtures committee.
This has also raised speculation that Tendulkar may call it quits from the game after this series.
The champion batsman has so far played 198 Tests, scoring 15,837 runs at an average of 53.86. The top run-getter by quite a mile, Tendulkar has scored 51 hundreds in the five-day format.
Tendulkar, who has retired from ODIs and Twenty20s, played 463 50-over games scoring 18.426 runs at an average of 44.83. He struck 49 hundreds in the process.
The BCCI official said the working committee did not have any discussion on the South Africa series, which India need to finalise after rejecting the itinerary proposed by Cricket South Africa.
The official said the BCCI Annual General Meeting to be held in Chennai on September 29 will be chaired by N Srinivasan, who stepped aside as Board President in the wake of the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
Interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya will look after the day-to-day functioning of the Board till the AGM.
He also said that the BCCI disciplinary committee will meet in Delhi on September 13 to discuss the the Board's anti-corruption unit chief Ravi Sawani's report on the spot-fixing scandal.
“Apart from the Home Series against Australia in October 2013, the Working Committee approved a proposed Home series against the West Indies in the month of November 2013,” the Board stated.
“The Indian team's tour of New Zealand for two Tests and five ODIs in January/February 2014 was approved. The Indian team's tour of England for five Tests/five ODIs/one T20 International, from July to September 2014, was approved,” it added.
The AGM on September 29 will be the Board's 84th and Srinivasan is expected to seek a second term as President during the meet.
Apart from this, it was decided that the Board's Disciplinary Committee will meet on September 13 to consider Anti-Corruption Unit chief Ravi Sawani's report on the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
Besides, the BCCI also approved the recommendations made by the National Cricket Academy's Board.
These recommendations include having an arrangement with MRF Pace Foundation and utilise the facilities of the KSCA at Alur, near Bangalore.
The NCA Board has also recommended setting up academies in each of the five zones, and a dedicated academy for the North-Eastern states in Guwahati.
