Six Indians could get practice games

Six of India's Test squad could be allotted warm-up opportunities in New Zealand's first-class competition ahead of the first Test in Hamilton next month, according to a report in a local newspaper. India have no practice games during their visit and Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket's chief executive, said the idea to send the players out to the six provinces was only a plan at the moment.

"India have bent over backwards to accommodate our wish for three Tests so we have to give them some warm-up," Vaughan was quoted as saying in the Dominion Post. "I said to them: `We won't leave you in the lurch, we will give you some decent warm-up,' and one way or the other we will honour that."

Vaughan said NZC had yet to approve the idea. The six players concerned are Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Amit Mishra, L Balaji, Dhawal Kulkarni and M Vijay. According to Vaughan, they may turn out to play the State Championship round from March 6-9 either by a "contestable process" or "random allocation".

The reworked schedule resulted in the dates for the second Twenty20 game and the first three ODIs being brought forward. The three-day warm-up match against a New Zealand XI in Lincoln between the ODIs and Tests was also scrapped. Vaughan was hesitant to set up a practice match because that would mean the board would need to line up 16 players from a domestic circuit already without national representation and the New Zealand A squad.

"I wish there was a better way to do it, we are still evaluating the options. We haven't reached a final decision on it it will probably be next week," said Vaughan. "My board is considering it at the moment and I've talked briefly to the major associations about it. I understand if there is some opposition to it."

However, Heath Mills, the head of the New Zealand Players' Association, said in the New Zealand Herald, "If they think they can change the conditions halfway through the competition we would be absolutely against that."

The BCCI said they were looking at a final proposal from NZC before giving their consent. "They also want to make sure that none of the states sides which the Indians may represent have any ICL players. We will wait for the New Zealand board decision," Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI's chief administrative officer said.

During England's tour of New Zealand a year ago, NZC agreed to allow James Anderson to turn out for Auckland in their four remaining fixtures of the State Championship. Anderson was released by the England management before returning to join the squad ahead of the second Test, and the fast bowler returned in style with five wickets. Vaughan had said then that it was not a popular decision, but this time he it was different because it was "almost a deal to get them [India] here for three Tests."

Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, the previous chief selector, felt the players picked for only the Tests would have benefited with an India A tour of the country at the end of the Ranji season last month. "Rahul and Laxman, besides M Vijay, Dhawal Kulkarni and L Balaji, would have got used to the conditions better for the Test series in the absence of any practice games," he told PTI. "A little bit of planning and insight would have benefited them after the long layoff from cricket. Also the fringe players would have been helped by their presence in the India A squad."