The BCCI has offered an informal interaction between some of the Indian cricketers and their Australian counterparts, in order to help the players recover from the tragedy of Phillip Hughes' death.

With Hughes' funeral on Wednesday, the Brisbane Test which was originally scheduled to start on Thursday has been postponed. It is possible that the opening Test could be pushed back by three days and then the scheduled nine-day break between the second and third Test be cut down to four days.

Many Indian players have been in touch with their friends in the Australian cricket fraternity following the unfortunate incident, and the BCCI is understood to have informed Cricket Australia that the board would be willing to go the extra mile to "speed up the healing process".

"If some of our boys mingling with the Australian players is going to help them get back on track, we will immediately facilitate it," a board insider told ESPNcricinfo.

The BCCI has also passed a message to all the members of the squad that anyone who wishes to attend Hughes' funeral would be able to do so. Some of the India players, including those with Mumbai Indians - the IPL team Hughes was a part of - and some of those who toured Australia with the India A side, were friends with Hughes. If those players would like to pay their tributes to Hughes, the Board, according to an official, "will facilitate the trip to Macksville". However, the full squad is unlikely to go down to Macksville.

Meanwhile, the BCCI expects the reworked Test series itinerary to be finalised in the next 24 hours. CA officials informed the BCCI during discussions on Saturday that the new schedule will be confirmed on Sunday after their deliberations with various stakeholders, and most importantly, with the players.
(Cricinfo)