Virat Kohli and co to play cricket in all 12 months of 2021 despite COVID-19?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Team India's international schedule, however, Virat Kohli's team will soon resume their international commitments with the tour of Australia later this month. The India vs Australia 2020 series will include a total of 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs and 4 Tests. The series will also be the first international tour for Virat Kohli’s men since the pandemic began. However, the upcoming year will be jam-packed for the Men in Blue as they will be playing cricket without a break for even a month.

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India cricket schedule 2021

The Virat Kohli-led side will feature in 14 Test Matches, 16 ODIs & 23 T20 internationals from January to December in 2021. This is besides the Asia Cup T20 (June), ICC World Cup (October) and IPL 2021. According to a report by Insidesport a BCCI official while speaking to the website said that the schedule will be tough for players, but the board will be honouring Future Tour Programme (FTP) commitments. The official also noted that the rotation policy will come into play and since there is a bigger pool of talented players, the board will ensure that players get ample rest before being called up to play for the national side.

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India vs England 2021 schedule 

Following the completion of the India vs Australia 2020 series, India will next host England in a home series. The world champions will be touring the subcontinent for two months, scheduled to feature in 4 Tests, 4 ODIs and 4 T20Is. After the completion of the England series, Indian players will then turn their focus towards the Dream11 IPL 2021 season, which is scheduled to take place from the end of March and conclude in the middle of May.

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India's international assignments post Dream11 IPL 2021

Post the completion of Dream11 IPL 2021, India will travel to Sri Lanka for a three-match ODI series and five-match T20I series. Following the completion of this series, the Men in Blue will be busy defending their Asia Cup title in the island nation, which will host Asia Cup 2021.

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In July, India will first tour Zimbabwe, following which they will travel to England for a five-match Test series which is part of the World Test Championship. The tour will be completed in a span of two months. In October, India will host South Africa for 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is, which will be seen as preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 scheduled to take place in October or November.

Following the completion of ICC T20 World Cup in 2021, India will host New Zealand in two Tests and three T20Is which will take place from the end of November to the middle of December. After the home series versus the Kiwis, the Indian cricket team will end their 2021 season with a tour of South Africa where they will play 3 Tests and 3 T20I matches.

 Image: Indian Cricket Team / Instagram