India is set to play a two-day day-night warm-up match ahead of their Test against Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra in Adelaide. This night game is scheduled to take place on November 30 and December 1 at Manuka Oval. The upcoming Test series will start in Perth and consist of five games.
The Prime Minister’s XI fixture was a four-day match in the last two seasons. The first was against West Indies in 2022 (which was also a day-night game) and the next featured Pakistan in 2023. India suffered an eight-wicket defeat in Adelaide on their previous tour of Australia in 2020-21. During the 1st Test, the visitors were bundled out for their lowest-ever Test score of 36 in the second innings. Despite this humiliating defeat, they staged a stunning comeback to win the series 2-1, including a historic victory in Brisbane.
India have thus far played just four day-night Tests. Their most recent day-night Test was against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru in 2022. Meanwhile, Australia have featured in 12 day-night Tests to date, all at home. They suffered defeat only once when they fell short for eight runs against West Indies in Brisbane.
The Prime Minister’s XI, which has effectively acted as an Australia A team, has been a formidable team in recent seasons. Matt Renshaw was one of the standout performers for the side, having scored 81, 101*, and 136* against the West Indies and Pakistan.
Additionally, India will play an intra-squad warm-up at the WACA from November 15-18 before their first Test on November 22. They are scheduled to arrive in Australia after playing a three-match home Test series against the Kiwis. Besides, an India A squad will tour Australia in late October to take part in two four-day matches in Mackay and Melbourne.