India 2020-21 tour of Australia: Complete schedule of Virat Kohli-led team’s 3 T20Is, 4 Tests, 3 ODIs; women’s team’s 3 ODIs

Cricket Australia on Thursday (May 28, 2020) announced the schedule of Indian men’s and women’s team Down Under during the later part of 2020 and early 2021. Making the announcement about the proposed return of competitive cricket which has been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world, Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts stated that his team is “working closely with the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to deliver the eagerly anticipated men’s and women’s tours”.

According to the schedule announced, the Indian team led by Virat Kohli will play a three-match T20 International series against Australia starting October 11, 2020, at the Gabba, Brisbane followed by four Test matches and three One Day Internationals (ODIs). The Indian women’s team will face the Australians in a three-match ODI series starting January 22, 2021, at Manuka Oval, Canberra.

Anticipating a tough contest against India, Roberts added, “The Australian men’s team recently claimed the No. 1 Test ranking after India had held the top spot for almost four years. The Border-Gavaskar series is one of the international sport’s great rivalries and this will no doubt be another enthralling chapter.”

He, however, cautioned that the final dates of the tours may change depending on how the coronavirus threat is tackled. “While acknowledging the difficulty in navigating a global pandemic, we are nonetheless encouraged by the progress Australia is making in combatting the coronavirus and the positive impact that is having on our ability to host an exciting summer of cricket in 2020-21. We know that circumstances or events beyond our control could mean that the final schedule potentially may look different to the one released today, but we’ll be doing everything we can to get as much international cricket in as possible this summer. We will communicate any changes to the schedule if or when they are required,” he asserted.

Complete schedule of India tour: 

Gillette Men’s T20I Series against India  
Australia v India at the Gabba, Brisbane (October 11)  
Australia v India at Manuka Oval, Canberra (October 14)  
Australia v India at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (October 17)  

Men’s Test Series against India  
Australia v India at the Gabba, Brisbane (December 3- 7)  
Australia v India at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (December 11 – 15)  
Boxing Day Test, Australia v India at the MCG, Melbourne (December 26 – 30)  
Pink Test, Australia v India at the SCG, Sydney (January 3 – 7) 

CommBank Women’s ODI Series against India  
Australia v India at Manuka Oval, Canberra (January 22)  
Australia v India at Junction Oval, St Kilda (January 25)   
Australia v India at Blundstone Arena, Hobart (January 28)  

Gillette Men’s ODI Series against India  
Australia v India at Perth Stadium, Perth (January 12)  
Australia v India at the MCG, Melbourne (January 15)  
Australia v India at the SCG, Sydney (January 17)   

Fox Sports head Peter Campbell, whose company is one of the Australian broadcast partners, also predicted a good contest between India and Australia. “Three T20s, Three ODIs, a 4-Test Series against India – Steve Smith v Virat Kohli, the two top ranked Test players from two of the top ranked Test nations head to head on Australian soil. What a main event.”