The Board of Control for Cricket in India's Tour Programme and Fixtures Committee, which met in Mumbai on Saturday, approved India's schedule on its tour to Australia, from November to February, and for the home series against New Zealand in October this year.

BCCI secretary S K Nair told reporters after the meeting that India will play four Test matches in Australia and two Tests against the Kiwis at home.

"We will also be playing a triangular one-day series, with Australia as the third team, which involves ten matches. Though we have finalised the dates, the venues will be known only after the Working Committee meeting, to be held in New Delhi on June 30," he said.

"However, the dates and venues during our team's tour of Australia have been approved by the committee. We will also be playing a triangular series with Zimbabwe as the third team, apart from four Tests, at Brisbane (Nov 29-Dec 1), Adelaide (Dec 12-16), Melbourne (Dec 26-30) and Sydney (Jan 2-6)," Nair said.

"We have also done the groupings for the Ranji Trophy and junior domestic tournaments for the year 2003-04 and it is for the Technical Committee and the Working Committee to approve them," he added.

The visiting Kiwis will play two three-day side games after their arrival on September 23. The first three-day tie against the Board President's XI will be from September 26-28 and the second against India 'A' from October 2-4.

"We have also gone through the reports of the BCCI observers on the matches held during the last West Indies tour and will forward it to the Working Committee for final approval," Nair said.

According to the rotation system, Mohali and Bangalore are the likely Test centres for the home series while the tri-series final, in all probability, would be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

The itinerary for the home series against New Zealand (venues to be declared on June 30):

Sept 23: Arrival of New Zeland team.

Sept 26-28: Three-day tie against Board President's XI.

Oct 2-4: Three-day tie against India 'A'.

Oct 8-12: First Test between India and New Zealand.

Oct 16-20: Second Test.

One-day international tri-series:

Oct 23: India -  New Zealand.

Oct 26: India vs Australia.

Oct 29: Australia vs New Zealand.

Nov 1: India vs Australia.

Nov 3: Australia vs New Zealand.

Nov 6: India vs New Zealand.

Nov 9: Australia vs New Zealand.

Nov 12: India vs Australia.

Nov 15: India vs New Zealand.

Nov 18: Final.

Itinerary for the Australia tour:

Nov 21: Indian team's departure to Australia.

Nov 25-27: Three-day tie vs Victoria at Melbourne.

Nov 29-Dec 1: Three-day tie vs Australia 'A' at Brisbane.

Dec 4-8: India vs Australia, first Test at Brisbane.

Dec 12-16: Second Test, at Adelaide.

Dec 18: One-day tie vs Prime Minister's XI, at Canberra.

Dec 22-20: Three-day tie vs Australia 'A', at Hobart.

Dec 26-30: Third Test, at Melbourne.

Jan 2-6, 2004: Fourth Test, at Sydney.

India - Australia - Zimbabwe tri-series

Jan 9: India vs Australia, at Melbourne.

Jan 11: Australia vs Zimbabwe, at Sydney.

Jan 14: India vs Zimbabwe, at Hobart.

Jan 16: Australia vs Zimbabwe, at Hobart.

Jan 18: India vs Australia, at Brisbane.

Jan 20: India vs Zimbabwe, at Brisbane.

Jan 22: India vs Australia, at Sydney.

Jan 24: India vs Zimbabwe, at Adelaide.

Jan 26: Australia vs Zimbabwe, at Adelaide.

Jan 29: Australia vs Zimbabwe, at Melbourne.

Feb 1: India vs Australia, at Perth.

Feb 3: India vs Zimbabwe, at Perth.

Feb 6: First final, at Melbourne.

Feb 8: Second final, at Sydney.

Feb 10: Third final, at Brisbane (if required).

The two-tier Ranji Trophy grouping:

Elite (Group-A): Mumbai, Baroda, Andhra, Railways, Kerala, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

Group-B: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bengal, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Hyderabad and Assam.

Plate (Group-A): Tripura, Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana.

Group-B: Saurashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Services, Goa, Orissa and Maharashtra.