[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-england-australia-test-match-india-cricket-australia-proposal":82,"category-counts-nav":98,"related-england-australia-test-match-india-cricket-australia-proposal":108},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":86,"author":87,"excerpt":88,"date":89,"readTime":90,"image":91,"imageAlt":83,"tags":92,"body":96,"_path":97},"Australia Floats England Test in India to Revive Flagging Format","england-australia-test-match-india-cricket-australia-proposal","long-reads","Long Reads: Feature","Elena Rossi","Cricket Australia's chief executive proposes an Ashes Test on Indian soil to boost global interest in Test cricket.","2026-07-24 00:24:31","2 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fengland-australia-test-match-india-cricket-australia-proposal.webp",[93,94,95],"Cricket","Test Cricket","Ashes","## Ashes Test on Indian Soil? Cricket Australia's Chief Executive Raises the Prospect\n\nCricket Australia's chief executive has proposed staging a Test match between England and Australia on Indian soil, aiming to grow the longest format's appeal in the one market that can reliably deliver both broadcast revenue and packed stadiums.\n\nThe underlying logic: India remains cricket's commercial engine. **The BCCI's broadcast deals dwarf those of every other cricket board**, and Indian fans have shown increasing appetite for live Test cricket even when India is not playing. An Ashes fixture in Mumbai, Kolkata, or Ahmedabad would test whether that appetite extends to neutral-venue Tests and whether the sport's oldest rivalry can generate engagement outside its traditional Anglo-Australian base.\n\n## Test Cricket's Commercial Decline Meets India's Full Houses\n\nThe pressures on Test cricket are well documented. Empty stands for non-marquee series, scheduling conflicts with franchise T20 leagues, and shrinking broadcast windows have eroded the format's commercial viability. Cricket Australia's chief executive is naming what administrators have discussed privately for years: the bilateral Test calendar alone cannot sustain the format.\n\nIndia offers a different picture. **The 2023 World Test Championship Final at The Oval drew modest crowds**, yet India's own home Tests regularly fill venues of **50,000 to 100,000 capacity**. The BCCI has historically shown limited willingness to host matches not featuring India, but the commercial incentive to test that position with a fixture as prominent as the Ashes is difficult to dismiss.\n\n## Pitch, Broadcast Rights, and the 4-1 Problem\n\nLogistical challenges would reshape the contest. Spin-friendly subcontinent pitches, weather conditions foreign to Ashes cricket, and England's **4-1 series defeat in India earlier in 2024** would add layers of competitive tension neither side has faced in this rivalry before.\n\nBroadcast rights present a separate obstacle. Ashes television deals are negotiated bilaterally between **Cricket Australia and the ECB**. A neutral-venue match would require both boards plus **the BCCI** to agree on a revenue-sharing model that compensates all three convincingly enough to justify the precedent.\n\n## What the BCCI Would Need to Commit\n\nThe ICC's Future Tours Programme already struggles to accommodate bilateral series, and the proliferation of domestic T20 leagues continues to cannibalise the calendar. A high-profile neutral-venue fixture could serve as proof of concept for more flexible scheduling.\n\nThe BCCI's track record, though, points to prioritising its own bilateral fixtures and the IPL above everything else. Hosting an Ashes Test would demand real venue allocation and promotional commitment. The revenue opportunity from two of cricket's biggest brands in a single match is obvious, but the board has given no public indication it would act on it.\n\nCricket Australia's willingness to raise the idea publicly signals the conversation has moved past casual speculation. Whether the ECB reciprocates and the BCCI shows interest will decide if this becomes a fixture or stays a thought experiment.","\u002Farticles\u002Fengland-australia-test-match-india-cricket-australia-proposal",[99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,85,107],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","football","general","golf","mma","tennis",[109,122,134],{"id":110,"stem":110,"path":111,"title":112,"category":85,"badge":15,"badgeType":113,"author":114,"authorRole":115,"authorInitials":116,"date":117,"readTime":118,"image":119,"imageAlt":112,"tags":120,"excerpt":121},"champions-cup-draw-northampton-bath-face-daunting-pool","\u002Farticles\u002Fchampions-cup-draw-northampton-bath-face-daunting-pool","Saints and Bath Thrown Into Champions Cup's Most Punishing Pool","category","Sarah Martinez","Transfer Correspondent","SM","2026-07-01 14:16:21","6 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F262b\u002Flive\u002F63b92eb0-7550-11f1-9510-1546718f668b.png","Champions Cup, Premiership Rugby, Top 14, United Rugby Championship","Northampton and Bath drew the Bulls and Montpellier — a pool that could break or forge English contenders.",{"id":123,"stem":123,"path":124,"title":125,"category":85,"badge":15,"badgeType":113,"author":126,"authorRole":127,"authorInitials":128,"date":129,"readTime":130,"image":131,"imageAlt":125,"tags":132,"excerpt":133},"dusty-the-boxer-coaching-power-control","\u002Farticles\u002Fdusty-the-boxer-coaching-power-control","What a Chaotic Boxer Taught a Sociologist About Power, Control and Coaching","Rachel Foster","SportPulse Contributor","RF","2026-07-24 05:35:24","5 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fdusty-the-boxer-coaching-power-control.webp","Long Reads, Coaching, Psychology, Feature","William Davies' attempt to train his unruly boxer Dusty became an inquiry into how authority actually works, from dog parks to диктатура.",{"id":135,"stem":135,"path":136,"title":137,"category":85,"badge":138,"badgeType":113,"author":114,"authorRole":115,"authorInitials":116,"date":139,"readTime":130,"image":140,"imageAlt":137,"tags":141,"excerpt":142},"hugo-keenan-ireland-return-australia-thriller","\u002Farticles\u002Fhugo-keenan-ireland-return-australia-thriller","Hugo Keenan Returns, Ireland Survive Wallabies in 33-31 Classic","Feature","2026-07-04 18:19:36","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F1d98\u002Flive\u002Fc5e98470-77b4-11f1-a777-2740d50846c8.jpg","Autumn Nations Series, Six Nations, Rugby Championship","Hugo Keenan's masterclass on his Ireland return secured a dramatic 33-31 win over Australia in Dublin."]