The BCCI Working Committee will meet here on December 18 to explore the possibility of squeezing in some Test matches when South Africa visit the country in February-March next year for a best-of-five ODI series.
"At present the tour consists of five ODIs only. There's a move to include Tests too and it would be decided at the Working Committee meeting of the Board in Mumbai on December 18," BCCI sources told PTI on Thursday.
The belated move to play a few Tests against South Africa in the short window available between India's visit to Bangladesh in early January and the start of the Indian Premier League on March 12 next year would enable the team to maintain its number one Test status acquired for the first time by its 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar, among others, have expressed their wish that India should play more Tests than what has been scheduled for now.
As per the current ICC Future Tours Programme for Dhoni and his men, India will not be playing any Test cricket for nine months after its two-Test series in Bangladesh in January.
The next Test series India are to take part in is the three-match home rubber against New Zealand in November. In the 13 months - from the tour to Bangladesh in January 2010 till the start of the World Cup in February 2011 - India are to play only eight Tests - two in Bangladesh, three at home against New Zealand and three more in South Africa (December 2010-January 2011).
Post-World Cup, India are scheduled to travel to the West Indies and play four Tests in April-May, 2011, tour England that July-August to take on the hosts in four Tests, before playing a home series of three Tests against the West Indies in November-December.
As per the FTP, a tour to Australia for four Tests is fixed between December, 2011 and January, 2012 before a home and away series against Pakistan that year and the next that are under a cloud as per the prevailing conditions.
Working Committee to decide on Tests vs SA
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