India Ready To Conquer Australia As Dates Revealed For Warm-Up Match Before BGT 2024
India to play internal warm-up match [Source: Source: @Saabir_Saabu01/X.com)
Team India will be looking to conquer Australia once again as they aim for a third straight series win Down Under. The riveting Test series will be a part of the WTC cycle as both the sides will aim for a top-2 finish.
However, ahead of the first Test match in Perth, Team India are all set to play an internal warm-up match against the touring India A side. The match will take place in Perth as the Indian team aim to acclimatize to the fast and bouncy Perth conditions.
The India A side will arrive in Australia, a few weeks earlier for a two-match series against Australia A side, and will stay further for a three-day game against the Rohit Sharma led Indian side, as reported by Cricbuzz. The practice match will take place from November 15 to 17.
The India A side will likely be captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, and will feature several Test regulars. They will play two matches against the Australian A side, with the first of those taking place from October 31, and the second match from November 7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Team India could be without their skipper Rohit for Perth Test
As per reports, India captain, Rohit Sharma will not play the first Test in Perth due to personal reasons. Rohit's absence will hurt the Indian team, since he has been their best Test batter for a long time now.
In his place, Abhimanyu Easwaran is likely going to be the stand-by opener as Team India explore other options.
Both India-Australia eye WTC finale berth
Both India and Australia are aiming for a place in the WTC finals, which will be played in June 2025. Both the sides are at the top of the WTC points table, but other teams are also lurking around.
However, both the sides are at a strong position in the points tally and will most likely collide for the second successive time in the finals of the mega event.