The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a gruelling series for Team India from September until the end of 2017, on Tuesday. Virat Kohli's will test their mettle against the likes of Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, at home, before heading off to South Africa, early next year.
The India cricket team are currently in Colombo, indulging in a long tour of Sri Lanka, which consists three Test matches, five ODIs and one T20I.
India are 1-0 up in the three-match Test series, with the second match starting August 3. The one-off T20I is scheduled for September 6.
Playing a total of 23 international matches (three Test matches, 11 ODIs, nine T20Is) in a span of four months is no easy task and fatigue could be a major concern for the Ravi Shastri-coached India team. It needs to be seen how they actually deal with it.
"There are 23 International matches at home. Three Tests, 11 ODIs and nine T20 Internationals," the Press Trust of India quoted a BCCI official as saying.
"Each and every venue in India will be covered. Barsapara in Assam and Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram have got Test status. Both are vying for Test matches. Most of the bigger centres want either a T20 International or ODIs."
Here are the full fixtures:
India vs Australia 2017
Dates: September 17 to October 11.
Matches: 5 ODIs, 3 T20Is
Venues (ODIs): Chennai, Bengaluru, Nagpur, Indore, Kolkata
Venues (T20Is): Hyderabad, Ranchi, Guwahati
India vs New Zealand 2017
Dates: October 22 to November 7.
Matches: 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is.
Venues (ODIs): Pune, Mumbai, Kanpur
Venues (T20Is): Delhi, Cuttack, Rajkot
India vs Sri Lanka 2017
Dates: November 15 to December 24.
Matches: 3 Tests, 3 ODIs, 3 T20s
Venues (Tests): Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur
Venues (ODIs): Dharamsala, Mohali, Vizag
Venues (T20Is): Kochi/Thiruvanantpuram, Indore, Mumbai
