The Indian team could make two tours of Australia in the next cycle of the Future Tours program (FTP) from 2024 to 2032, with the number of tests per series increasing from the existing four to five. According to a report in The Age, Cricket Australia (CA) has “recently informed a range of broadcasters, both domestic and international, that it has secured two full Test tours through India and England over the next FTP, with The Tours of India expanded from a four-game series to a five-game series.”
The last two Australian Test tours, which included four games in each series, were won by India, triumphs that went down in history as two of their greatest.
The current ICC FTP, which runs from 2018 to 2023, ends with the ICC Men’s 50+ World Cup, to be played in India in October-November next year.
The full FTP is expected to be officially announced later this month, around the ICC’s annual meeting in Birmingham on July 25-26.
India has always been a huge draw for Australian crowds in recent years, with the latest four-game run from Down Under giving the financially-struggling CA a major boost with an expected revenue of A$300m.
“Seasons without test match visits by England or India usually mean reduced crowds and broadcast ratings – part of the reason why CA itself is working on a multi-year financial model to balance fluctuations in the international calendar,” said the report in the major Australian daily.
It came as no surprise when CA, at the end of the match, expressed their gratitude to BCCI for the ‘sacrifices’ they made to ensure the smooth running of what turned out to be an epic competition. .
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A second-tier Indian team, led admirably by Ajinkya Rahanebraved every chance to defeat a full-strength Australian side by three wickets at ‘Fortress’ Gabba to win the series 2-1 and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
CA recognized the role played by the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI to successfully complete the tour amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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