After the conclusion of Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, Virat Kohli and Co will be back on national duties after nine months as India is set to tour Australia for a full-fledged series. The Men in Blue must be raring to make a mark as it’s their first international assignment since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian government have given the green signal for the series with Sydney being the quarantine centre for Indian players and Australian stars returning from IPL. Though the series still needs a final confirmation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the tentative schedule is out.  Sydney Could Be Indian Cricket Team’s Port of Entry for Quarantine and Training, Say Reports.

As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, the tour will get underway on November 27 with the limited-overs leg – three ODIs and as many T20Is. Sydney Cricket Ground and Manuka Oval in Canberra will host the white-ball series while four Test matches will take place in different venues. Notably, the first Test will be a Day-Night game, and it will indeed possess an additional challenge for the Indian cricket team. Also, they haven’t played red-ball cricket since February, which makes the task even more jolting. Meanwhile, let’s look at the tentative schedule of India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia. India Tour of Australia 2020–21: Sydney, Canberra to Host T20I & ODI Series, Says Report.

India vs Australia 2020-21 Schedule

Date Match Venue 
November 27 1st T20I SCG, Sydney
November 29 2nd T20I SCG, Sydney
December 1 3rd T20I Manuka Oval, Canberra
December 4 1st ODI Manuka Oval, Canberra
December 6 2nd ODI SCG, Sydney
December 8 3rd ODI SCG, Sydney
December 17-21 1st Test Adelaide Oval
December 26-30 2nd Test Melbourne Cricket Ground/Adelaide Oval
January 7-11 3rd Test SCG, Sydney
January 15-19 4th Test The Gabba, Brisbane

Note: Match timings will be updated later

India have delightful memories of their last tour of Australia in 2018-19. They started with a 1-1 tie in the three-match T20I series. However, history was created in the following four-match Test series. India became the first Asian country to win a Test series on Australian soil, registering a 2-1 triumph.

Virat Kohli and Co continued their impressive run in the ODI series and claimed another 2-1 win. However, Australia didn’t have the services of David Warner and Steve Smith during that tour. Hence, visitors must be ready to face a much-difficult start.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 22, 2020 08:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).