After a satisfying tour of Australia which ended with a 2-1 victory over the hosts, team India is all set to welcome England for a long series, yet again. The Champions, England are currently playing a series against Sri Lanka and do look in good form after the first Test win against India. So, as both the teams look in good form before the important series, it will be very difficult to predict a clear favorite. As many English players have an experience of playing IPL in India, they won’t be totally alien to the playing conditions here.
The full schedule of the series is out. England will play India in a 4-match Test series, 5-match T20I series and a 3-match ODI series. India also announced its 18-man squad for the first two tests. A good news for Indian fans is that Virat Kohli is back in the side as captain after a break. Here’s a look at both the squads:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There's a return of some big names in India’s squad to face England in the first two Test matches, whilst Sundar and Thakur remain after their heroics in Brisbane 👀<a >#INDvENG</a> <a >pic.twitter.com/EwVxg2CeC7</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a >January 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jofra Archer, Rory Burns and Ben Stokes all return to the England squad for the first and second Test matches against India 👀<a >#INDvENG</a> <a >pic.twitter.com/V2TkM8CEwI</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a >January 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Full Schedule is as follows:
First Test- February 5-9, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Second Test- February 13-17, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Third Test- February 24-28, Motera, Ahmedabad
Fourth Test- March 4-8, Motera, Ahmedabad
The Test series would be followed by an unusual five match T20 series. All the five matches would be played at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera in Ahmedabad. The T20 matches are scheduled to be played on March 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20.
Many experts are speculating that this unprecedented move of keeping five T20I’s in the series was to give ample time for the players to prepare for IPL’s 2021 season. Well, this T20 series would be followed with a three match ODI series.
The same pattern of the T20 series would be followed here. Meaning, all the three matches would be played at one stadium only. The ODI series between India and England will be played on March 23, 26 and 28 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. BCCI has chosen only three venues to host the 12 matches against England. Many cricket associations including Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) were “shocked” at BCCI’s selection of venues. But considering the time we are living in, the concerns of the pandemic seems to have affected this decision. Looks like, only three venues were selected as BCCI would want to reduce travel time during the Covid-19 crisis.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NEWS 🚨 : BCCI, ECB announce itinerary for England’s tour of India 2020-21.<br><br>More details here - <a >https://t.co/LRckHxHpHx</a> <a >#INDvENG</a> <a >#TeamIndia</a> <a >pic.twitter.com/MdhRnmfx0s</a></p>— BCCI (@BCCI) <a >December 10, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Where To Watch?
The full series will be available on Disney+Hotstar and will be broadcasted on TV by Star Sports channels.