India to play around 30 ODIs in 2018-19 seasons

Team Udayavani, Feb 18, 2018, 5:07 PM IST

New Delhi: With an eye on next year’s ICC World Cup, the Indian cricket team will play around 30 ODIs in an estimated 63 international games across formats, scheduled for the 2018-19 season. India will also play 12 Tests during the upcoming season along with 21 T20Is.

India’s ongoing season (2017-18) will come to an end with the Nidahas Tri-Nation T20 tournament in Sri Lanka (Bangladesh, being the third team).

While the cricket calendar starts in April with the Indian Premier League, the national team will start its campaign in June with a short two-match T20 series against Ireland. In the same month, India will host Afghanistan at Bengaluru for the historic one-off Test.

The tour of England will start in July and end early-September where India will play five Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is.

There is a window for the Asia Cup (50 overs) but the date and the venue is yet to be finalised. The tournament will have around nine ODIs.

India’s home season will be a short one with the West Indies coming in for two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is during October and November. India will then fly to Australia to play four Tests, three T20Is and three ODIs in November and December.

The BCCI has taken a policy decision of not playing Tests in New Zealand as a 3.30 a.m. IST start is not commercially viable for the Board. The New Zealand tour, from mid-January to mid-February, will have five ODIs and five T20Is.

In the second half of February, Australia will arrive in India for a limited-overs series — five ODIs and two T20I. The curtains will be drawn on the 2018-19 season with Zimbabwe visiting to play a three-match T20 series.

India’s 2018-19 season itinerary (estimated international matches: 63): June 2018: vs Ireland (Two T20Is, away); June 2018: vs Afghanistan (one Test, home); July-Sept. 2018: vs England (five Tests, three ODIs, three T20Is, away); Sept. 2018: Asia Cup (approx nine ODIs, date and venue yet to be finalised); Oct.-Nov. 2018: vs West Indies (two Tests, five ODIs, three T20Is, home); Nov.-Dec. 2018: vs Australia (four Tests, three ODIs, three T20Is, away).

Jan.-Feb. 2019: vs New Zealand (five ODIs, five T20Is, away); Feb.-March 2019: vs Australia (five ODIs, two T20Is, home; March 2019: vs Zimbabwe (3 T20Is, home).