The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday announced the Indian men’s cricket team’s home schedule for 2019-20 season. The calendar includes a total of five Tests, nine One-Day Internationals, and 12 Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
Bangladesh will play a series in India for the first time when they tour India in November for three T20s and two Tests.
The five Tests to be played in the 2019-20 season will be a part of the Test Championship. India will open their World Test Championship campaign against South Africa in October
The season will begin with South Africa arriving for three T20s and as many Tests starting September 15.
What is noticeable in the entire schedule is India will not be playing a full-series comprising Tests, T20s and ODIs in one go. And that means that South Africa will return to play three ODIs in March 2020.
The series against Bangladesh will begin with the first T20 in Delhi. The two Tests will be played in Indore (November 14-18) and Kolkata (November 22-26).
Bangladesh had toured India for the first time in 2017 when they played a one-off Test in Hyderabad. They will also be one of the six sides India will play in the nine-team World Test Championship. The ICC has already made it clear that India and Pakistan will not be facing each other in the first cycle, unless they both make the final.
After Bangladesh’s departure in the last week of November, India will face the West Indies in three T20s and as many ODIs starting December 6. The following month will see Zimbabwe touring India for three T20s between January 5-10.
Four days later, India play Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series. The BCCI and Cricket Australia had serious differences over the scheduling of the series but the Indian cricket board eventually had its way.
The home season will conclude in March with South Africa’s ODI tour of India.
With PTI inputs