Cricket Australia said it is open to staging an Ashes Test match in India in the future [1, 2, 3].
The proposal represents a potential shift in the tradition of the Ashes, which is historically contested only in England and Australia. Moving a match to India would leverage one of the world's most passionate cricket fanbases to increase the global profile of Test cricket.
Chief executive Todd Greenberg said the comments in Melbourne [2]. He said that the organization is considering how to reflect the importance of the Indian market and grow interest in the long-form version of the game [3, 1].
"We are open to the possibility of staging an Ashes Test in India, but there are no concrete plans at the moment," Greenberg said [2].
Officials have suggested that such an event could be timed to mark the 150th [3] anniversary Ashes Test. This milestone would provide a symbolic justification for moving the series outside its traditional borders.
This openness to the Indian market extends beyond the Ashes. A Big Bash League match is scheduled to be staged in Chennai in December [3].
While the Ashes has remained a bilateral affair between England and Australia for over a century, the commercial and cultural gravity of Indian cricket has increasingly influenced international scheduling. The move would require agreement from the England and Wales Cricket Board, as well as the logistical coordination of hosting a high-profile series in a third-party nation [1, 2].
“We are open to the possibility of staging an Ashes Test in India, but there are no concrete plans at the moment.”
The willingness of Cricket Australia to move the Ashes to India signals a strategic pivot toward the sport's most lucrative market. By decoupling the series from its traditional geography for a milestone event, the board aims to modernize the game's reach and ensure the financial viability of Test cricket in an era dominated by shorter formats.
