Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has told BBC Sport that England and Australia should be open to playing a Test match on Indian soil — an idea that, while not yet being planned, is firmly on the table for discussion.

"It's not something that we are planning, but it's open for consideration," Greenberg said, adding that both nations would "have to be open to considering all options." He said there was "no doubt" such a fixture would capture the imagination of cricket fans worldwide. (BBC Sport)

A Test match is the longest and most traditional format of cricket, played over up to five days. England versus Australia in that format — the contest known as the Ashes when played as a series — is the oldest rivalry in international cricket, dating back to 1877. Taking it to India, the game's largest market, would be a departure from the usual schedule of home-and-away series between the two nations.

For the idea to move from conversation to reality, it would need buy-in from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which runs English cricket, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the sport's most powerful governing body. Greenberg described Cricket Australia's relationships with both organisations as "very strong." (BBC Sport)

The comments come as Australia and England prepare to mark the 150th anniversary of their first Test meeting with a one-off Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2027. That fixture, a standalone celebration rather than part of a series, will revisit the city where Test cricket between the two countries began.

Greenberg's openness to an Indian Test is not happening in isolation. Cricket Australia is already planning to take its domestic Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League, overseas for the first time. Melbourne Renegades will face Perth Scorchers in Chennai in December, bringing a slice of Australian franchise cricket to one of India's most passionate cricket cities. (BBC Sport)

For fans, the appeal is straightforward. India offers the biggest cricket crowds on earth, and an England-Australia Test in places like Chennai, Mumbai or Bengaluru would carry a flavour neither side's home grounds can replicate — turning pitches that reward spin bowling, humid evenings that swing the ball through the air, and stands packed with supporters who follow both visiting teams through their domestic and international careers.

For now, there is no fixture, no date, no venue. What there is, for the first time from a senior Cricket Australia figure, is a willingness to talk about it.