New Delhi: India’s much-anticipated Day/Night Test against England will be held at Ahmedabad from February 24 next year. The city will also be the venue of one more Test and five T20 Internationals when India take on England, the BCCI announced Thursday. The Tests and the T20 Internationals will be played at the newly-constructed Motera Stadium. It will be the second Day/Night Test that will be played in India. The first one was hosted at the Eden Gardens in 2019
The two other venues that have been allotted matches as per BCCI’s rotational policy are Chennai. The city will host the first two matches (starting February 5), and Pune that will host the three ODIs (March 23 to 28). It will be four-Test series against England.
“Chennai will also host the second Test while the newly built Sardar Patel Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the remaining two Test matches,” stated a press release from the BCCI.
“Motera is the largest cricket stadium in the world. It boasts of state of the art facilities and a seating capacity of 1,10,000. The iconic Test will be followed by the five-match T20I series, which will also be held in Ahmedabad,” it added.
The last leg of the tour will feature ODIs and all three matches will be held in Pune.
“The BCCI has restricted the tour to just three venues keeping in mind the current pandemic situation prevailing in India, ” the statement read.
“Both Boards have worked closely to put together an exciting series. It promises to provide high octane action between two powerhouses of world cricket, India and England,” Shah said in the statement.
England and Wales Cricket Board CEO Tom Harrison said he is looking forward to an exciting series. “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…,” Harrison said.
“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. I know it will be something that is a highlight for both the players and management,” the ECB CEO added.
A BCCI source explained the rationale behind Pune and Chennai getting matches.
“As per our rotational policy, Pune and Chennai were due to get matches long back. With this series, they would get a chance to host their pending games. Also after a lot of deliberation, BCCI’s operations team found that these are the three appropriate venues to create bio-secure environment for two teams,” the official said.
England’s tour of India, 2020/21:
1st Test 5th-9th February (Chennai)
2nd Test 13th-17th February (Chennai)
3rd Test 24th-28th February (Ahmedabad)
4th Test 4th – 8th March (Ahmedabad)
T20I series
1st T20I 12th March
2nd T20I 14th March
3rd T20I 16th March
4th T20I 18th March
5th T20I 20th March
All games to be played at Ahmedabad
1st ODI 23rd March
2nd ODI 26th March
3rd ODI 28th March
All matches at Pune