Bangalore To Host India-Afghanistan Historic Test

The historic Test match between India and Afghanistan will be played in Bangalore from June 14 to 18, BCCI confirmed today (January 16).

The new of India playing Afghanistan in their first ever Test match was confirmed last year. Earlier, there were reports that Afghanistan might play Australia in their debut Test, but Afghanistan decided to play its inaugural Test against India.

In fact, a couple of years back, Afghanistan had shifted its home base to Greater Noida Stadium, but  BCCI banned it last year.

Afghanistan, along with Ireland, was inducted into full members list of ICC last year, which permitted them to play Test cricket.

BCCI opting for Bangalore as host of the game is itself a surprise because Eden Gardens was the front-runner to host the contest.

A Test match in June would again mean a cramped schedule for team India. The eleventh edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is expected to end in the third or fourth week of May. After a week or two, Indian players would play a Test match and will then fly to Ireland after a couple of days to play the hosts in two T20I games.

From there, the Indian team will go to England for a long tour comprising of five Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is. It will be interesting to see whether team India fields a full-fledged team against debutant Afghanistan or not, keeping in mind the cramped schedule.

The Test against Afghanistan will also mark a start to a new season of team India where the Men in Blue will play series against Afghanistan, Ireland, England and New Zealand. A home series later in the year is expected to be organized by BCCI to fill in the gap between England and New Zealand series.

Follow India’s tour to South Africa here: South Africa Vs. India – Freedom Series

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