India will play a two-day pink-ball warm-up match against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on November 30 and December 1, ahead of their day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide. The match will take place at Manuka Oval between the first and second Tests of the series.
Traditionally a limited-overs fixture, the Prime Minister's XI game has recently featured four-day matches, including a day-night contest against the West Indies in 2022 and Pakistan in 2023. However, this year’s match has been shortened to two days.
During their previous tour of Australia in 2020-21, India lost the day-night Test in Adelaide by eight wickets, with their second innings collapse to a record low of 36. Despite this, they went on to win the series 2-1, highlighted by their historic victory in Brisbane.
This series will begin in Perth and include five Tests, as opposed to the four-match series in 2020-21. India has played only four day-night Tests, the latest being in Bengaluru in 2022, while Australia has competed in 12, with their only loss coming in a narrow eight-run defeat to the West Indies in Brisbane last season.
The Prime Minister's XI, effectively an Australia A team, has been strong in recent years. Matt Renshaw has been particularly impressive, scoring 81, 101, and 136 in the last two fixtures against the West Indies and Pakistan.
However, last year’s pitch at Manuka Oval faced criticism from Pakistan for being slow and low, which didn’t provide ideal preparation for the Perth Test. The final day of the match was abandoned due to heavy rain and damage to the covers.
India will have an intra-squad warm-up at the WACA from November 15-18 before the first Test on November 22. They will arrive in Australia following a three-match home Test series against New Zealand. Additionally, an India A squad will tour Australia in late October, playing two four-day matches in Mackay and Melbourne.