Sourav Ganguly, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has confirmed that India will host England in February 2021, and the series will be quickly followed by the 14th edition of the Indian T20 League.
Virat Kohli and his men are scheduled to travel to Australia in December following the conclusion of this year's Indian T20 Leaguein UAE, and Ganguly has confirmed that apart from the international cricket, the board is working effortlessly to lay out a plan for domestic cricket.
"The senior Indian men’s team will travel to Australia in December this year and will come back to the country for a series against England starting from February next year. This will be followed by Indian T20 league 2021 in April,” he wrote in the letter on Thursday night.
“In the domestic cricket context, we are currently in the off season and the BCCI is making all efforts to ensure that domestic cricket resumes as and when the conditions permit. The health and safety of players and all other involved in domestic cricket is of utmost importance to BCCI and we are constantly monitoring all aspects.
“All members will be duly informed about the future course of action and suggestions will be taken before we resume domestic cricket. We are hopeful that the situation will improve over the next few months and we will be able to start domestic cricket in a safe and healthy environment,” he wrote.
As far as the visit of England is concerned, they were initially set to tour India in September to play three T20Is and three ODIs before returning in January 2021 for a five-match Test series. But with the Indian T20 League's schedule overlapping, the series was pushed back indefinitely to early 2021.
Meanwhile, England, who are currently playing host to Pakistan, have confirmed that Australia's limited-overs tour of England, which has three T20Is and as many ODIs, will begin in September. The tour was initially scheduled for July 2020, but was postponed due to the outbreak of the global virus. The shortest format will be played at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, on 4, 6 and 8 September, while Old Trafford will host the 50-over series on 11, 13 and 16 September.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar
