Ashwin reacts with interesting ‘2016-17’ parallel after fan-anger over Mumbai, Kolkata not being given England Tests
The BCCI on Wednesday announced their home fixtures for the 2023-24 season, that also includes the star-studded ODI World Cup. The season begins in September with India hosting Australia for a three-match ODI series – part of preparations for the marquee fifty-over tournament. While the World Cup takes place in October-November 2023, Australia will extend their stay for a five-T20I series.
Rohit Sharma (L) and Ravichandran Ashwin (R), of India during day three of the First Test between West Indies and India (AFP)
The season sees only one Test series in January-March next year, when England tour the country for five matches, following Afghanistan’s three-T20I tour earlier in the month. The series against England remains highly anticipated in the cricket calendar this time, following the advent of ‘Bazball’ – the name fondly given to England’s aggressive approach in the longest format under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
The 2023-24 tour will be the first time England will play five Tests in India since 2016/17; the last time the side toured the country was in 2020/21, when it played four Tests. India had won the series 3-1. In the same year, India also travelled to England for a five-Test series, returning with a 2-1 lead after the fifth Test was postponed. A Stokes-led English team eventually succeeded in equalising the series a year later.
Surprisingly, some of India’s iconic Test venues including Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai won’t get a chance to host England for the series. It is speculated that the decision took place due to the venues already hosting some of the key matches in the ODI World Cup this year. Regardless, the fans were naturally disappointed at big-ticket venues not getting any Test in the only longest-format home series of the cricketing calendar.
India’s leading off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been part of the all the aforementioned series against England, didn’t share the disappoitnment with fans, though. Drawing parallels with the 2016/17 tour, Ashwin tweeted that Vizag and Rajkot – two venues for the 2024 Tests – had also hosted England in their last five-Test tour in India.
“5 tests against England 2024: Hyderabad, Vizag, Rajkot, Ranchi, Dharamshala. 2016/17: Rajkot, Vizag, Mohali, Mumbai, Chennai. Vizag and Rajkot hold status quo. Should be a good series,” Ashwin tweeted.
Here’s how fans on Twitter reacted to the hosts for the England Tests:
India made a winning start to the new World Test Championship cycle, defeating West Indies 1-0 in the two-Test series last week. The Rohit Sharma-led side held an upper hand in the second Test in Trinidad, but continuous rain over the last two days forced a draw.
