'No time for warm-up games on Australian tour'
BCCI expresses its inability to accommodate even one tour game prior to the four-match Test series in Australia later this year because of the packed schedule.
The Cricket Board has expressed its inability to pencil in more than one tour game prior to the four-match Test series in Australia later this year as desired by the players.
"There's no chance to add any extra games. The players may want more but where's the time," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said on Wednesday.
He was referring to India's packed international schedule after the ODI series against South Africa in Ireland next month.
The team for Ireland and the subsequent tour of England, to be selected at Bangalore on June 12, is set to depart on June 19 and return in the second week of September at the conclusion of the Natwest one-day series in England.
Some players, selected for the best-of-seven one-day rubber in England, would directly proceed to South Africa for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup.
Australia will be in India to play seven ODIs in October, apart from a Twenty20 fixture against the hosts.
After this, Pakistan will tour India for three Tests and five ODIs, which would leave the team with hardly any breathing space before it departs for the tour of Australia for playing four Tests and an ODI tri-series.
As per the schedule, the Indians are slated to play only one warm-up game before taking on the Australians in the first Test at Melbourne from December 26.
Indian captain Rahul Dravid had earlier complained about the 'over-cramme'" calendar of the team, but the BCCI rejected his contention, saying that there was a rotation policy in place to prevent player burn-out.