England tour of India 2021: Ahmedabad to host Day/Night Test, five Twenty20 Internationals

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the dates and venues for the blockbuster series between India and England in 2021. In a press release issued by the BCCI, England will play four Tests and five Twenty20 Internationals in India beginning from February. The series will kickstart on February 5 with the four-Test series. The MA Chidambaram stadium in Chepauk, which has not hosted Test cricket since 2016, will host the first and second Tests while the new Motera stadium in Ahmedabad will host the third and fourth Tests. The stadium underwent a total revamp and it now has a capacity of 110,000, making it the largest stadium in the world and surpassing the Melbourne Cricket Ground when it comes to total seating.

In fact, Motera stadium in Ahmedabad will have a blockbuster cricket schedule when it comes to the series against England. The third Test will be the Day-Night Test and it will host India’s second Pink Ball Test at home after the huge success of the first game was played in Kolkata last year. Ahmedabad is expected to turn pink when it hosts the third Test on 24th of February under lights. Ahmedabad will also host five Twenty20 Internationals against England and this will be the first time that one venue is hosting an international Twenty20 bilateral series of three or more games.

After the end of the Tests and T20Is, there will be three ODIs and they will all be played at the MCA stadium in Pune from March 23 to March 26. Thus, England’s tour of India will last over fifty days.

‘High Safety protocols’

Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, said that the tour will be conducted according to the safety protocols which have been agreed upon by the BCCI and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Jay Shah also indicated that the series might not be played behind closed doors and fans might be able to come in. “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. This will be India's first bilateral series at home since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the home season will bring back joy to cricket fans,” Jay Shah said.

Tom Harrison, the CEO of the ECB, said it was a pleasure that England would become the first international team to play at the 110,000-strong capacity Motera stadium. “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 finalise those plans. The prospect of becoming the first international side to play at the magnificent Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad adds an extra dimension to the tour and I know will be something that is a highlight for both the players and management,” Harrison said.

Complete fixtures

Test matches

February 5 to February 9, 1^st Test: India vs England, Chennai

February 13 to February 17, 2^nd Test: India vs England, Chennai

February 24^th to February 28^th, 3^rd Test (D/N): India vs England, Ahmedabad

March 4^th to March 8^th, 4^th Test: India vs England, Ahmedabad

Twenty20 Internationals

March 12, 1^st T20I: India vs England, Ahmedabad

March 14^th, 2^nd T20I: India vs England, Ahmedabad

March 16^th, 3^rd T20I: India vs England, Ahmedabad

March 18^th, 4^th T20I, India vs England, Ahmedabad

March 20^th, 5^th T20I, India vs England, Ahmedabad

ODIs

March 23, 1^st ODI: India vs England, MCA Stadium Pune

March 26, 2^nd ODI: India vs England, MCA Stadium Pune

March 28^th, 3^rd ODI: India vs England, MCA Stadium Pune