BCCI pushes for two home-season windows per year
As the ICC gets ready to fine-tune a schedule for the Test and ODI leagues next month, the BCCI has made it clear that any new international calendar would need to account for a fixed Indian home season, played across two windows: October-November and February-March.
"The BCCI's stance has been that these are our windows we will play at home," a BCCI member told ESPNcricinfo. "We have been building on this for a while now."
The BCCI has only started to push for a fixed home-season - the likes of which England and Australia have had forever - over the last four years, and specifically when N Srinivasan was board president. Srinivasan, however, wanted a home season stretching from October to March, followed by the IPL, which can stretch to nearly two months.
Since 2013 India have played nine Tests in February and March - eight Tests against Australia (in 2013 and 2017) and one against Bangladesh. Between 2014 and 2016 they did not play any Test series in these months. Historically, in 83 years since 1934, India has played 54 Tests at home in those months.
Since the 2011 World Cup, India have not hosted any ODIs in February or March. At most of these times, India have been playing away from home on tours to South Africa, Australia or New Zealand.
October-November is much more a fixed home-season for India. They have scheduled a Test series every year in those months since 2013; even in 2014 they were scheduled to play against West Indies but the series was abandoned. Nine Tests have been played over the last four years in these months and 31 ODIs; since 1934, they have played 93 Tests at home in October-November and 149 ODIs since they hosted their first in that period in 1981.
BCCI pushes for two home-season windows per year 