As 2020 is coming to an end, international cricket for India resumed after a long nine-month break due to the pandemic. Various cricket boards have started releasing the schedule for 2021. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also released the schedule for the home series against England on December 10.
The English team is set to play four test matches, five T-20 games, and three one-day internationals during this tour. The first test match is set to take place in Chennai on February 5. The same venue will host the second test match while the new stadium in Ahmedabad will host the remaining two test matches of the series. The third test match at Sardar Patel Motera Stadium will be a day-night game.
After the test match series, Ahmedabad will be hosting T-20 international games. Initially, five test matches were planned but BCCI made changes last month to add more T-20 games ahead of next year’s T-20 World Cup. All five T-20 games will be played in Ahmedabad.
The final stretch of England’s tour will end in Pune. The World Champions will play three ODIs at the venue before leaving the country. There were doubts regarding this tour being staged in India, but Jay Shah admitted during a press release on Thursday that both boards are working together to take all precautions and successfully play all games in India.
The four test matches will be pivotal for India to qualify for the final of the World test championship if they get positive results against Australia in the next two months. The Indian team will be playing four tests against the Aussies, starting from December 17 in Adelaide Oval. Virat Kohli’s men suffered a 2-1 defeat against Australia in the ODI series. The Men in Blue did get their revenge by winning the T-20 series.