A new frontier: historic tour of India confirmed

The schedule for Australia's history-making multi-format tour of India has been confirmed, with all seven games to be played across two venues in Mumbai in December and January.

The tour includes Australia's first Test in India since 1984, but the game at Wankhede Stadium will not be a pink-ball day-night match as previously reported.

The Test, to be played across four days from December 21-24, will begin each day at 9.30am (3pm AEDT).

Australia's multi-format tour of India

 

December 21-24: Test match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 9.30am

 

December 28: First ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

 

December 30: Second ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

 

January 2: Third ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

 

January 5: First T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

 

January 7: Second T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

 

January 9: Third T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

It will be followed by three ODIs, also at Wankhede, on December 28, 30 and January 2, before three T20Is at DY Patil Stadium – which is also located in Mumbai – on January 5, 7 and 9.

Australia chief selector Shawn Flegler told media in September he believed the match would be a day-night match, and the national team took a chance to train with pink balls during their recent series against West Indies.

India's women have not hosted a Test since 2014 but will play two in the space of two weeks, with a red-ball game scheduled against England from December 14-17 at DY Patil, giving the hosts just three days' rest between matches.

Australia are likely to arrive in India one week before the start of the Test and will not have a warm-up fixture, while players will begin building their loads in preparation for the game during the ongoing Weber WBBL, which runs until December 2.

It will also be the first time Australia's women have spent Christmas touring overseas since 2004.

While no Australian player has experience on wearing India wickets, they have spent ample time in Mumbai in recent years.

They played a tri-series against India and England staged entirely at Brabourne Stadium in 2018, and five T20Is across Brabourne and DY Patil last December, while the inaugural Women's Premier League was also played solely in Mumbai in March.

Australia and India have played one previous points-based, multi-format series in Queensland in 2021, where the hosts claimed the trophy 9-5.

A contest across all formats looms as a new frontier for Australia's women, who have been routinely tested by India in T20Is and one-dayers in recent years.

One player eagerly anticipating the trip is Ashleigh Gardner, whose 8-66 at Trent Bridge on the final day of the Ashes Test in June led Australia to a drought-breaking victory over England.

"It's huge, I've played a lot of cricket in India and a lot of short format cricket and it's generally pretty batter friendly and there's lots of runs scored because they're quite flat wickets and quite small and hard outfields as well," Gardner told cricket.com.au.

"It's going to be interesting what conditions are thrown up (for the Test) – everyone expects India to turn, so being a spinner that's fantastic.

"But also being a batter, that's going to be a challenge … you're going to have to make some really good decisions out there and not switch off, as hard as that is in Test match cricket, you've got to be on every single ball.

"That tour is probably going to be one of the more challenging ones, and even just the time of year - a lot of people like being home at that time of year and that adds to the challenge as well.

"It's going to be about being able to embrace that."

Meanwhile, England will play three T20Is at Wankhede Stadium on December 6, 9 and 10 leading up to their Test, while India A and England A will play three 20-over games on November 29, December 1 and December 3.

There is a strong English contingent in the WBBL and both tours are set to impact player availability during finals, with the Stars and Thunder to be the most affected should they qualify.

All three of the Stars' internationals are regulars in England's T20I squad – Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier and Sophia Dunkley – while Perth Scorchers are likely to lose star recruit Natalie Sciver-Brunt and the Thunder both captain Heather Knight and quick Lauren Bell.

Adelaide Strikers have two English players and Dani Gibson has been part of recent England T20 squads but they could expect to keep uncapped Georgia Adams, while Renegades' opener Tammy Beaumont has not been selected in the shortest format in the past 18 months.

Heat batter Bess Heath is uncapped but could be included in either England's main or 'A' squad, while the Hurricanes and Sixers have no England contracted players on their books.

Australia's multi-format tour of India

December 21-24: Test match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

December 28: First ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

December 30: Second ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

January 2: Third ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

January 5: First T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

January 7: Second T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

January 9: Third T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai