Ireland was chosen as host after talks with officials from Canada and the United States fell through.

The matches, to be held at Belfast's 9,000-capacity Stormont venue, are on June 27 and June 29 and July 1.

"We will play against Australia in the last week of June," Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the Indian cricket board, told reporters.

"We have chosen Ireland as the venue and details are being worked out."

The Irish series will mean that the two teams will clash with each other in three different countries over an eight-month period later this year and 2008.

The Indians host Ricky Ponting's team for a seven-game one-day series next October before heading to Australia next summer for a Test series and the tri-series against Sri Lanka in February and March.

Italy will play a World League Cricket series in Darwin in their winter series.

Sportal