England tour of India in 2021 confirmed

The two nations will contest four Tests, five T20s and three one-day internationals over February and March in three cities

The Cricketer | 10/12/2020 at 10:46

India and England will contest a 12-match multi-format tour in February and March 2021, both cricket boards have confirmed.

Chennai and Ahmedabad will host the four Tests starting from February 5. The third Test will be a day-night pink-ball match.

The new 110,000 Sardar Patel Motera Stadium will also host all five T20 internationals on March 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20.

Three one-day internationals will then be staged in Pune on March 23, 26 and 28.

It remains to be seen whether the matches are played in front of fans. Currently, India has more than nine million cases of Covid-19. The tour had originally been pencilled in to take place in the United Arab Emirates, which hosted the delayed Indian Premier League.

While the five-day matches make-up part of the ongoing World Test Championship, the white-ball matches have been rescheduled after being postponed from earlier in 2020.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: "International cricket between India and England is a highlight of the cricketing calendar and always attracts significant levels of interest from fans around the world.

"We have been delighted with the planning that has been undertaken by the BCCI to ensure the three venues in Chennai, Ahmadabad 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."

Jay Shah, BCCI honorary secretary added: "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. Both Boards have worked closely to put together an exciting series that promises to provide high octane action between two powerhouses of world cricket."

The tour comes right off the back of England's two Tests in Sri Lanka, which takes place in January.

INDIA V ENGLAND FIXTURES

Test series

FIRST TEST: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (February 5-9)

SECOND TEST: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (February 13-17)

THIRD TEST: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (February 24-28)

FOURTH TEST: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (March 4-8)

ODI series

FIRST ODI: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (March 12)

SECOND ODI: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (March 14)

THIRD ODI: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (March 16)

FOURTH ODI: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (March 18)

FIFTH ODI: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (March 20)

T20 series

FIRST T20: MCA Stadium, Pune (March 23)

SECOND T20: MCA Stadium, Pune (March 26)

THIRD T20: MCA Stadium, Pune (March 29)

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