BCCI announces itinerary for England’s tour of India 2021

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the schedule for England’s tour of India 2021. Both the teams will play four Test matches, three ODIs and five T20Is, which will help them prepare for the T20 World Cup 2021. The first two Test matches will be hosted by Chennai whereas the last two will be played at Ahmedabad.

All the five T20Is will be hosted by Ahmedabad whereas the three-match ODI series will take place at Pune. The English team will begin their tour with the first Test match at Chennai from 5th February whereas the second match will be played at the same venue from 13th February.

The action will then move to the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, which is the largest cricket stadium in the world. The third Test match, which will begin from 24th February will be a Day-Night fixture. This will be the second pink-ball Test match for the Indian team in their own conditions as the first one was played against Bangladesh at Kolkata.

The fourth and final Test match will begin from 4th March at Ahmedabad. The first T20I will be played on 12th March and the final will be played on 20th March. After the conclusion of the T20I series, the action will move to Pune for the ODI series.

The first ODI will be played on 23th March whereas the final match of the tour will be played on 28th March.

“The BCCI prioritises health and safety of both teams and will leave no stone unturned to make sure that the tour is held adhering to all safety protocols agreed by the BCCI and ECB medical teams,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said. 

“Both Boards have worked closely to put together an exciting series that promises to provide high octane action between two powerhouses of world cricket. This will be India’s first bilateral series at home since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the home season will bring back joy to cricket fans.”

ECB CEO Tom Harrison added: “We have been delighted with the planning that has been undertaken by the BCCI to ensure the three venues in Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune will be ready to host international cricket in a bio-secure environment and look forward to working closely with them over the coming weeks to finalise those plans. 

On the other hand, India will also play five more Test matches against England when they tour them in August. The first Test match will be played at Nottingham from August 4.