India to begin busy home season after T20 World Cup

Wednesday, 22 September 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

NEW DELHI, AFP: India will kick-start a packed home season against New Zealand in November with four Tests, three one-day and 14 Twenty20 internationals scheduled across eight months.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday listed the itinerary as part of the 2020-21 cycle that will begin three days after the T20 World Cup ends on 14 November in the United Arab Emirates.

The New Zealand series will begin on 17 November in Jaipur, with three T20 matches which will see a new T20 captain for India after Virat Kohli’s decision to step down at the end of the World Cup.

The Kiwis will also play two Tests in Kanpur and Mumbai. West Indies will begin their limited-overs tour in February next year, with three ODI and three T20 matches.

A visiting Sri Lankan side will play two Tests in February-March instead of the original three mentioned in the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the 2018-23 cycle. The island nation will also play three T20 matches.

South Africa will then come over for five T20 matches in June as India make up for the ODIs that were abandoned last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The three-match series had to be postponed after the first ODI in Dharamsala, which was abandoned because of rain.

The months of April and May have been kept aside for the Indian Premier League T20 tournament, which will include ten teams in its 15th edition.

In between their home stretch, India are also scheduled to tour South Africa for three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is between December and January.