Team India's home series fixtures against England announced
The BCCI and the ECB have announced the fixtures for Team India's home series against England in 2021. The two teams will play four Tests, five T20Is and three ODIs, starting February 5. Notably, Chennai will also host the first two Test matches. Meanwhile, the newly built Sardar Patel Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the remaining two games. Here are the complete details.
Motera Stadium to host the Day-Night Test
The third Test match of the series will be a Day-Night affair. The Motera Stadium will host India's second Day-Night Test match at home after the huge success of India's first-ever pink-ball Test that was played against Bangladesh in Kolkata last year. Ahmedabad is set to turn pink when it hosts the third Test on February 24 under lights.
Ahmedabad to host the T20Is, ODIs will be in Pune
Post the Test series, the five-match T20I series will also be held in Ahmedabad. However, the last leg of the tour will feature ODIs and all three matches will be held in Pune. Interestingly, the BCCI has restricted the tour to just three venues keeping in mind the current COVID-19 pandemic situation prevailing in the country.
Health and safety of both teams to be top priority
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said that health and safety will be of utmost concern. "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," he said.
Here's what Tom Harrison said
ECB CEO Tom Harrison expressed his satisfaction with the planning undertaken by BCCI. "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 finalize those plans."
India vs England Tests: A look at the schedule
First Test, February 5-9 - Chennai. Second Test, February 13-17 - Chennai. Third Test (Day-Night), February 24-28 - Ahmedabad. Fourth Test, March 4-8 - Ahmedabad.
T20Is and ODIs: A look at the schedule
All five T20Is will be held in Ahmedabad. They will be played on March 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 respectively. Meanwhile, the three ODIs will be played in Pune on March 23, 26 and 28 respectively.
