BCCI announces home schedule, top-team to visit India right before 2023 ODI World Cup

BCCI have announced the full schedule for the international home season for Team India. The upcoming home season kicks off in September with Australia coming over in preparations for the World Cup. Australia will stay back in India after the World Cup to take part in a five-match T20I series beginning on 23rd November in Vizag and concluding on 3rd December in Hyderabad.

BCCI announces schedule for international home season

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Tours, Fixtures and Technical Committee on Tuesday confirmed the venues for the home season 2023-24. The upcoming season promises to be an exciting period for cricket enthusiasts, as the Senior Men's team is scheduled to play a total of 16 International matches, comprising 5 Tests, 3 ODIs, and 8 T20Is," BCCI said.

"The start of the new year will see Afghanistan arriving in India for their maiden white-ball bilateral tour. The three-match T20I series will take place in Mohali and Indore, with the final to be held in Bengaluru, the venue where Afghanistan played their first-ever Test match. Test cricket will then take over as India will host England for a five-match Test series starting on 25th January 2024. The exciting Test series will be played at Hyderabad, Vizag, Rajkot, Ranchi, and Dharamsala," BCCI concluded.

Indian cricket team looks to put in all preparations for ODI World Cup

The Indian team just finished a two-match Test series in the West Indies and will be engaged in three-match ODI series followed by a five-match T20 series.

Ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup, there will be ample opportunities for the Men in Blue to test their setup and combinations as this tournament would be the best bet for them to end their prolonged trophy drought. India's recent performances haven't been that satisfactory given their recent display against Australia in the bilateral series.

The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul should be in their full flow as they have been recuperating from various injuries.

The five-match Test series will be India's first taste in the long format at home in 2024 and given their strong performances in the World Test Championship over the last two cycles they would want to continue their momentum after the World Cup.  This will be India's first home series in the current 2023-25 WTC cycle.

Afghanistan's maiden visit to India will be another challenge as the Asian country has emerged as one of the surprise packages in recent times. The Indian team has had a strong run at home and the upcoming Cricket World Cup will also be a stern test for them.