CHENNAI; As the IPL season resumed in the UAE on Sunday, it has kick-started what is going to be one of the most gruelling schedules for Indian players. With the T20 World Cup beginning soon after the IPL, India's players are risking a potential burnout unless a rotation policy is put in place.
Going by the tentative schedule compiled by the BCCI, India and New Zealand face-off in the first of three T20Is in Jaipur on November 17. In case, even if one of them makes it to the T20 World Cup final, scheduled for November 14, it leaves just 48 hours for the teams to fly in and play at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium. Unlike the last international season, where the BCCI was forced to restrict the number of venues to three because of the second Covid wave, the 2021-22 season will see matches being evenly distributed among state units.
“All the state units will get a chance to host matches based on the rotation policy. This could change depending on the ground situation. It will be assessed on a series-by-series basis,” a BCCI official said.
Although the BCCI has gone back to its usual rotation policy, the cramped schedule means there is less breathing space for the Indian team, which will play nine T20Is, four Tests and three ODIs between November and March at home against New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka. With the tour of South Africa beginning in the middle of December, the BCCI has been forced to squeeze in the series against New Zealand. All three T20Is against New Zealand — to be played in Jaipur, Ranchi and Kolkata — have only a day's gap. This virtually leaves teams with almost no time for training or recovery sessions. The two Tests, under the World Test Championship, will begin in Kanpur on November 25, followed by the second in Mumbai on December 3. The series will be done in 27 days.
This will be followed by the South Africa tour, where the first of three Tests begins on December 17, followed by three ODIs and four T20Is which ends on January 26. India will then play host to West Indies in a limited-overs series. The first ODI begins in Ahmedabad on February 6 before moving to Jaipur and Kolkata. Cuttack, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram will host the T20Is on February 15,18, 20. This series will take a total of 15 days.
After a four-day break, India will host Sri Lanka in a series that will last 22 days. The first Test will be held in Bengaluru starting from February 25, followed by the last and second Test in Mohali from March 5. The T20Is will be played in Mohali (Mar 13), Dharamsala (Mar 15) and Lucknow (Mar 18).
India are also scheduled to host South Africa for five T20Is in June 2022.
India vs New Zealand
1st T20I- November 17, Jaipur
2nd T20I- November 19, Ranchi
3rd T20I- November 21, Kolkata
1st Test- November 25-29, Kanpur
2nd Test- December 03-07, Mumbai
India vs West Indies (2022)
1st ODI- February 06, Ahmedabad
2nd ODI- February 09, Jaipur
3rd ODI- February 12, Kolkata
1st T20I- February 15, Cuttack
2nd T20I- February 18, Vishakhapatnam
3rd T20I- February 20, Trivandrum
India vs Sri Lanka (2022)
1st Test- February 25-01 March, Bengaluru
2nd Test- March 05-09, Mohali
1st T20I- March 13, Mohali
2nd T20I- March 15, Dharamsala
3rd T20I- March 18, Lucknow