Commonwealth Games organizers asked India's sports minister, on Friday, to intervene and help avoid a scheduling clash with the national cricket team's home test series against Australia.
The Commonwealth Games begins in New Delhi on Oct. 3 _ only a day after the first test is scheduled at Mohali. The second test is due to be played at Bangalore from Oct. 10-14, which also clashes with the games. The test series will be followed by three one-day internationals at Kochi (Oct. 19), Goa (Oct. 22) and Visakhapatnam (Oct. 24).
Commonwealth Games organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi wrote a letter to the country's sports minister MS Gill to convince the Board of Control for Cricket in India to change its test dates. "I need not stress the importance of not having any international cricket in India during the Commonwealth Games," Kalmadi wrote to Gill.
In the letter, Kalmadi said he asked the BCCI last year not to schedule any international matches during the Oct. 3-14 Commonwealth Games.
"Our preparations to ensure that we host a successful games are on home stretch and we are confident of delivering the best ever games," Kalmadi said.
"I am sure you will use your good offices to convince BCCI to reschedule the cricket series."
Australia have no matches in Delhi, but millions of Indian television viewers are likely to chose cricket over the Commonwealth Games.
{{/usCountry}}Australia have no matches in Delhi, but millions of Indian television viewers are likely to chose cricket over the Commonwealth Games.
{{/usCountry}}Cricket attracts a passionate following in India and organisers of the field hockey World Cup in New Delhi in March advanced the tournament by a week so that it would not clash with the Indian Premier League tournament.
There was no immediate comment from the BCCI on Kalmadi's request.
(With inputs from AP and AFP)