The CEO of Cricket Australia, Nick Hockley, said that the upcoming series of five cricket matches between Australia and India is almost as important for money-making as the Ashes series. The first match between India and Australia will start on November 22 at the Perth Stadium.
Playing India at home is a big part of Cricket Australia’s agreement with Foxtel and Seven network, which is worth 1.5 billion Australian dollars. Because there are many people from India living in Australia and the players from India are very popular, having a series with India also brings chances for tourism, trade, and investment.
People are very excited about the upcoming match between the top two teams in the World Test Championship. India is aiming to win their third straight series in Australia, having previously defeated them in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
“The Border Gavaskar Trophy and the Ashes are both very important events in Australian cricket. They attract large crowds and have a lot of viewers on TV,” Hockley mentioned in an email interview. “Ticket sales from India have already increased six times compared to the last series before the pandemic.”
There have been some complaints in Australian cricket about India getting easier pitches than before, which helps attract more fans. Before 2018, India only didn’t come in second place in Australia in 2003, losing three Test series in a row in between. However, India has become much better at playing Test cricket outside their home area, showing their skills clearly during their last visit when they won a crucial Test match at the Gabba with a weaker team.
“Australia’s famous cricket grounds each have their own special pitch features and conditions, which makes the series exciting, including the recent addition of the day-night Test,” Hockley said, avoiding the discussion about the pitches.
The second match in the series will be a day night test, where the home team has a strong advantage, having won 11 out of 12 night games with their fast bowlers performing well under lights. On Friday, Cricket Australia announced a two-day game (November 30 to December 1) for the visiting Indian team against the Prime Minister’s XI at the Manuka Oval. This should help the Indians prepare for the night match in Adelaide starting on December 6. India was all out for just 36 in the Adelaide night match during their last visit.
Since this series is very important, the Indian selectors will observe India A in a practice tour (two four-day matches) from October 31 to November 10 to finalize the team. After that, the A team will play a three-day practice match against the main team, starting on November 15 at the WACA.
