Perth to host India’s first Test in November: Report

MELBOURNE: Perth is set to host the opening Test of the five-match series during the much-anticipated India’s tour of Australia later this year. According to a report in ‘Sydney Morning Herald’, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney have also been picked as the venues for the blockbuster series. “Adelaide will host the second Test and Brisbane the third, with the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests keeping their traditional time slots in Melbourne and Sydney,” the report said.

The Adelaide Test will be a day-night affair. Cricket Australia is yet to come out with its schedule for the next season but a final announcement is expected by the end of this month. The series is likely to start in late November this year. It will be the first time India will play a five-match series in Australia since the 1991-92 tour, which the host won 4-0.

In the past four series between the two teams, India had won on all four occasions, including back-to-back Test series wins in 2018-19 and 2020-21. In the 2018-19 series, Perth had hosted the second Test, which the host won by 146 runs. Ahead of the 2020-21 series between the two countries, Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) was reportedly upset with the Cricket Australia’s decision to not allot a single Test to Perth.