India vs India A: BCCI's 'Quality' Plan To Shock Australia, Reveals Report

The Indian cricket team is expected to leave for Australia at least two weeks prior to the first Test starting November 22 in Perth and will be playing one or two intra-squad matches against their 'A' team colleagues as a tune-up to the opening fixture. The Indian senior team's home Test series against New Zealand will end on November 5 in Mumbai if the third match goes into the final day. It is understood that the Test squad will be leaving from Mumbai few days after the series and just like it happened during the last tour of South Africa, the BCCI could have a four-day game between India and India A, which people in the know of things feel will provide Rohit Sharma's men with quality match simulation.

The India A team is also supposed to play a couple of A Tests and that particular squad, comprising the country's bench strength, is expected to leave the Indian shores by October 25 for its series.

The BCCI has over the years witnessed a decline in quality of practice matches and there came a time during Mahendra Singh Dhoni's tenure as Test captain when most of these tour games got unofficial status so that all 15 in the squad could bat and bowl.

Earlier, these matches -- normally of three-day duration -- would have first-class status.

It was before the 2021 World Test Championship final in England, during the peak COVID-19 crisis, that the senior team introduced the concept of intra-squad game in proper whites and with umpires, but the A team shadow tours were stopped during that phase.

It was during the 2023-24 series in South Africa that both India A and India were present in South Africa at the same time.

In between the two 'A' Tests, the second-string did take on the main team before the latter's opening game at