Some of Australia’s potential tourists for next January’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series will get a second tour of India in 12 months when Australia A face India A in two four-day games and three 50-over matches in Puducherry in September and October.
In addition to the men’s fixtures that the BCCI announced on Wednesday, it was also confirmed that an Australia A women’s side will tour India for two T20s, three 50-over games and one four-day match in September in Mohali and Dharamsala, while the men’s Under-19 team will play three 50-over games and two four-day games in Rajkot and Ahmedabad at the same time.
Australia A will play the four day games in Puducherry from September 22-25 and from September 29 to October 2 before playing three 50-over matches at the same venue on October 6, 9 and 11.
Australia’s ODI and Test team will be touring Zimbabwe and South Africa from September 15 to 27 and the Test team has three Tests in South Africa starting on October 9. That makes it feasible for a Test specialist to potentially play game one before heading to South Africa but game two would seem unlikely. However, Australia’s selectors have picked entirely different XIs on their last two subcontinent Test tours to those picked in SENA conditions. Australia have played three specialist spinners and one quick in their last four subcontinent Tests in India and Sri Lanka for three wins and a draw. They also picked Travis Head to open the batting in those Tests, which has now become his permanent spot, with spin-specialist batters in Peter Handscomb and Josh Inglis slotted into the middle-order. Connolly also played in Australia’s most recent Test in Sri Lanka as a spin-bowling allrounder at No. 8 and will be considered for a similar role in India next year despite being very unlikely to play before then.
Meanwhile, the Australia A women will play a multi-format series in India for the first time since 2018. It will clash with Australia women’s home ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh but does provide chances for fringe players to push for Australia’s multi-format tour of India in 2027-28. Australia A women play two T20 matches in Mohali on September 12 and 15 before playing three 50-over matches in Dharamsala on September 17, 20 and 23. A four-day game will be played in Dharamsala from September 29 to October 2.
Australia A men’s tour of India 2026
September 22-25: First four-day match, Puducherry
September 29-October 2: Second four-day match, Puducherry
October 6: First one-day match, Puducherry
October 9: First one-day match, Puducherry
October 11: First one-day match, Puducherry
Australia A women’s tour of India 2026
September 12: First T20, Mohali
September 15: Second T20, Mohali
September 17: First one-day match, Dharamshala
September 20: Second one-day match, Dharamshala
September 23: Third one-day match, Dharamshala
September 29-October 2: Only four-day match, Dharamshala
Australia U19 men’s tour of India 2026
September 18: First one-day match, Rajkot
September 21: Second one-day match, Rajkot
September 23: Third one-day match, Rajkot
September 27-30: First four-day match, Rajkot
October 5-8: Second four-day match, Ahmedabad
Alex Malcolm is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
