International cricket is finally coming back to Indian soil in the post-COVID era as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) along with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday (December 10) announced the fixtures of England’s upcoming tour of India. During this much-awaited tour both teams will take each other on in four Tests, five T20Is and three ODIs in February-March 2021. This will be the first international series in India since March 2020, when South Africa abandoned their three-match ODI series in the midway due to the growing concern over the spread of Coronavirus.
England will land in Chennai on January 27, a day after the completion of their two-Test series in Sri Lanka. The southern Indian city will host the first of the four-match Anthony de Mello Trophy Test series from February 5. The second game will played at the same venue from February 13 while the newly built Sardar Patel Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the remaining two Test matches.
Motera will host India’s second Day-Night Test match at home from February 24 whereas the final Test of the series will commence from March 4.
The Test series will be followed by a five-match T20I series, which will also be held in Ahmedabad from March 12. The last leg of the tour will feature ODIs and all three matches will be held in Pune with the first one scheduled to take place on march 23.
The BCCI has restricted the tour to just three venues keeping in mind the current pandemic situation prevailing in the country and all these matches will be played under bio-secure bubble.
Here the complete schedule…
Test matches
1st Test, Chennai: February 5 to 9
2nd Test, Chennai: February 13 to 17
3rd Test, Ahmedabad (day-night): February 24 to 28
4th Test, Ahmedabad: March 4 to 8
T20Is
1st T20I Ahmedabad: March 12
2nd T20I, Ahmedabad: March 14
3rd T20I, Ahmedabad: March 16
4th T20I, Ahmedabad: March 18
5th T20I, Ahmedabad: March 20
ODIs
1st ODI, Pune: March 23
2nd ODI, Pune: March 26
3rd ODI, Pune: March 28