India To Play 44 Tests, 63 ODIs & 76 T20Is In ICC’s Next FTP

 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released the Men’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) 2023-27 for all the teams across the three platforms — ODI, T20, and Test. There will be 777 international matches – 173 Tests, 281 ODIs and 323 T20Is – which will take place in the next cycle compared to the 694 in the current one.

India will participate in 44 Tests, 63 ODIs and 76 T20Is from August 18, 2022 to February 2027. While the ‘Men in Blue’ will play a string of home and away bilateral series with all the major cricket-playing nations, the bilateral series with arch-rivals Pakistan is missing from the calendar due to ongoing diplomatic wrangles.

Bangladesh will play the most number of bilateral matches (150) followed by West Indies, England, India, New Zealand and Australia and so on. As for the Tests, England (43) will play maximum matches in the five-year cycle followed by Australia (40), and India (38).

The prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, which used to be a four-Test affair, has now become a five-Test series from the next cycle. India’s next tour to Australia is in 2024-25 when these teams will cross swords for five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But before that, Australia will arrive in India next year for a Test series.

India will also lock horns with England for a five-Test series in early 2024. The Indian team will visit West Indies for an all-format tour in July-August 2024 where they will compete with the hosts in two Tests, 2 ODIs and 3 T20Is.

Afghanistan, who played their first Test in Bengaluru in June 2018, will be hosted again by India as they are slated to play one Test and three ODIs in mid-2026.

India will host the 50-over World Cup in 2023 before which they will be playing 27 ODIs.

The ICC or the International Cricket Council has significantly reduced the number of ODI matches in the FTP because of their sagging popularity. Also, the ODI series, which used to be a five-match affair, will now be restricted to three matches only. On the other hand, the bilateral T20I series will now be five-match affairs because of their soaring demand.

For the first time, the ICC also has Women’s FTP which includes over 300 matches played during the 2022-25 period.

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all my colleagues at the CEC for the historic Women’s FTP – the first of its kind and the continued spirit of partnership to conclude the Men’s FTP which provides certainty to all the members to develop their cricketing eco-systems as well as commercial programmes around their own calendars,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.