Team India to play record 23 matches at home post Sri Lanka tour; likely to get two new Test venues

New Delhi, Aug 1: Another hectic and equally challenging home season lies ahead of Virat Kohli and Company as Team India will be playing a record 23 international matches in between September and December, this year.

As per a PTI report, a BCCI office-bearer, who can't be officially quoted, told Men In Blue will play five ODIs and three T20 Internationals against Australia from September end to mid of October.

The series will be followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is against New Zealand. The Black Caps Kiwis will arrive in late October for the limited-overs series which will conclude in the first week of November. The home season will end in December with three Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka.

Virat Kohli and his men fly down to South Africa post conclusion of the home season.

BCCI has also come up with two new venues, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and Barsapara in Assam. Both these venues are in contention to host international matches. A decision on the series and venues will be taken by BCCI's Tours and Fixtures Committee in Kolkata on Tuesday (Aug 1).

"There are a whopping 23 International matches at home. Three Tests, 11 ODIs and nine T20 Internationals. Each and every venue in India will be covered. Barsapara in Assam and Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram have got Test status. Both are vying for Test matches. Most of the bigger centres want either a T20 International or ODIs," a BCCI official was quoted by PTI as saying.

A Kerala Cricket Association official confirmed the development.

"Since Kochi's Nehru Stadium, which has traditionally hosted ODIs, will be used for he Fifa U-17 World Cup, we are hoping that Greenfields gets its first Test," he said.

Nagpur, which was under suspension may also be in contention to host a Test match. The traditional centres such as Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru or Mohali will get ODIs or T20 Internationals, which draw capacity crowd.

There are possibilities that a couple of centres may get more than a match.

"One can be rest assured that atleast 16-18 venues will be covered during this phase," he concluded.

Team India at preset are on the tour of Sri Lanka where they are playing a Test series, which will be followed by a limited-overs series.

OneIndia News

(With PTI inputs)