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No deal? Reports Perth to miss out on India Test as Gabba set to host

Jordan McArdle and AAPThe West Australian
VideoJosh Hazlewood says Australia is prepared for a hostel reception when they return to South Africa.

Cricket Australia have emphatically denied reports today that Perth will miss out on hosting Test powerhouse India at Optus Stadium next summer.

An ESPNcricinfo report claims that India’s cricket governing body agreed to start the highly-anticipated four-Test series against Australia in Brisbane before a day-night clash, likely in Adelaide.

But CA labelled the article as false and were adamant a decision was unlikely to be made until at least next month.

“We’re still working through dates and venues with the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India),” a Cricket Australia spokesman told The West Australian.

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“We will announce it as soon as a decision is made.”

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Virat Kohli’s men bypassed Brisbane, where Australia haven’t lost a Test since 1988, during their previous visit and also opted against playing a pink-ball match in 2018-19 while recording their first Test series win in Australia.

Cricket Australia has recently been negotiating with the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) regarding next summer’s itinerary, when the teams ranked first and second on the world Test championship table clash in a four-Test series.

If the Gabba is locked in to host India then Perth’s Optus Stadium will miss out on hosting a Test next season. Australia will likely play a one-off Test against lowly-ranked Afghanistan in Perth, but at the WACA rather than the new venue.

According to the ESPNcricinfo report, Indian cricket president Sourav Ganguly was among the BCCI bigwigs attending the Apex Council meeting in Delhi on Sunday where the green light for both matches was given.

Cricket Australia (CA) is yet to receive any formal confirmation from its Indian counterparts.

Australia, desperate to atone for their Border-Gavaskar series loss in which suspended superstars Steve Smith and David Warner were sorely missed, are undefeated in seven pink-ball Tests.

Kohli made it clear last month his team were “ready and up for the challenge” of day-night Test cricket in Australia.

“We played the day-night Test here (in 2019 at Eden Gardens), we were very happy with how it went,” Kohli said.

“It’s become a very exciting feature of any series, so we are absolutely open to play a day-night Test.”

Kohli added “it doesn’t matter to us”, when dismissing the notion India were reluctant to play at the Gabba.

Tim Paine’s team have made no secret of the fact they would prefer to start every series at the Gabba, where countless touring teams have failed to adjust to its pace and bounce.

“We’ll certainly try but we’ll have to run that by Virat,” Paine quipped earlier this summer, when asked about the prospect of playing the first Test in Brisbane.

“See if we can get his permission.

“I’m sure we’ll get an answer from him at some stage.”

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