 "The Indian team at a training session at Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium ahead of a T20I against Sri Lanka in January 2020. AFP")
Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium is set to host a Test for the first time, with BCCI unveiling the schedule for the 2025 home season. The schedule announced by the board on Wednesday includes four Tests – two each against West Indies and South Africa – to be played later this year, and Ahmedabad, Kolkata and New Delhi will be hosting those matches other than Guwahati.
The two Test series against West indies will take place in Ahmedabad and Kolkata and gets underway on 6 October. India play as many Tests against the Proteas starting 18 November, with matches taking place in New Delhi and Guwahati.
The Proteas will stay back for a few limited-overs fixtures – three ODIs and five T20Is, the latter crucial for both teams in their preparation for the T20 World Cup next year.
Both West Indies and South Africa have not played a Test series in India for years. West Indies’ last Test series in India was in October 2018, in which Prithvi Shaw struck 134 in Visakhapatnam on debut. The Virat Kohli-led hosts ended up winning that series 2-0.
South Africa had toured India for a three-Test series, and like the West Indians, ended up losing all the matches by lopsided margins. The series had witnessed Kohli score an unbeaten 254 in the second Test in Pune – his highest Test score.
Schedule:
West Indies tour of India:
First Test in Ahmedabad from October 6.
Second Test in Kolkata from October 14.
South Africa tour of India
First Test in New Delhi from November 18.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSecond Test in Guwahati from November 26.
First ODI in Ranchi on November 30.
Second ODI in Raipur on December 3.
Third ODI in Vizag on December 6.
First T20 in Cuttack on December 9.
Second T20 in Chandigarh on December 11.
Third T20 in Dharamsala on December 14.
Fourth T20 in Lucknow on December 17.
Fifth T20 in Ahmedabad on December 19.