Australia vs India: Tour dates for COVID-19 threatened 2020/21 summer

Australia announced dates for India’s lucrative tour down under as the centrepiece of a busy home season on Thursday 28 May. 

Cricket Australia conceded that plans remained in a state of flux due to COVID-19.

Australia vs India: Tour dates set

Aussie cricket boss Kevin Roberts said that the picture is “evolving every day” as he unveiled a bumper summer. The home season includes men’s fixtures against Zimbabwe, the West Indies and Afghanistan, as well as India.

Australia are also slated to host the men’s Twenty20 World Cup in October and November although it now seems increasingly unlikely to go ahead in its original slot.

Schedule not set in stone

Australia’s women who were crowned T20 world champions in Melbourne in March just as the pandemic closed in on world sport, will host New Zealand and India.

“We know that circumstances or events beyond our control could mean that the final schedule potentially may look different to the one released today,” Roberts said in a statement.

“But we’ll be doing everything we can to get as much international cricket in as possible this summer.”

The men’s Tests against India are scheduled to start in Brisbane on 3 December, followed by Adelaide from 11 December, the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and Sydney from 3 January.

Australia this month dethroned India as the world’s top-ranked Test team, setting up a blockbuster series considering Virat Kohli’s men’s incredible triumph last time out.

Crucially, it would also generate hundreds of millions of dollars for a host organisation struggling during the shutdown.

Revenue from the series is so important to Cricket Australia that they even proposed adding a fifth Test, which would see the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Perth from 21 November ditched.

The BCCI have said the team are prepared to undergo quarantine to make the series happen. 

Australia’s borders are currently closed to non-residents as a measure against COVID-19.

“We are engaged in ongoing discussions with federal and state governments, our venues and the touring nations to continually understand and monitor the situation in front of us, which is evolving every day,” Roberts said. 

Final details of the men’s three-match one-day international series with Zimbabwe, scheduled to start on 9 August, will be confirmed at a later date, CA said.

Australia’s men then welcome the West Indies for three T20s from 4 October, before three T20s against India, followed by the Afghan Test and the India Test series.

Australia 2020/21 summer tour dates

Men

9 August – Australia vs Zimbabwe 1st ODI at venue TBA

12 August – Australia vs Zimbabwe 2nd ODI at venue TBA

15 August – Australia vs Zimbabwe 3rd ODI in Townsville

Women

27 September – Australia vs New Zealand 1st T20 in Sydney

29 September – Australia v New Zealand 2nd T20 in Sydney 

1 October – Australia v New Zealand 3rd T20 in Sydney

5 October – Australia vs New Zealand 1st ODI in Townsville 

7 October – Australia vs New Zealand 2nd ODI in Cairns 

10 October – Australia vs New Zealand 3rd ODI in Gold Coast 

Men

4 October – Australia vs West Indies 1st T20 in Townsville

6 October – Australia vs West Indies 2nd T20 in Cairns

9 October – Australia vs West Indies 3rd T20 in Gold Coast 

11 October – Australia vs India 1st T20 in Brisbane

14 October – Australia vs India 2nd T20 in Canberra

17 October – Australia vs India 3rd T20 in Adelaide

21-25 November – Australia vs Afghanistan, only Test in Perth

3-7 December – Australia vs India 1st Test in Brisbane

11-15 December – Australia vs India 2nd Test in Adelaide 

26-30 December – Australia vs India 3rd Test in Melbourne 

3-7 January – Australia vs India 4th Test in Sydney

Women

22 January – Australia vs India 1st ODI in Canberra

25 January – Australia vs India 2nd ODI in Melbourne

28 January – Australia vs India 3rd ODI in Hobart

Men

12 January – Australia vs India 1st ODI in Perth 

15 January – Australia vs India 2nd ODI in Melbourne

17 January – Australia vs India 3rd ODI in Sydney 

26 January – Australia vs New Zealand 1st ODI in Adelaide

29 January – Australia vs New Zealand 2nd ODI in Canberra 

31 January – Australia vs New Zealand 3rd ODI in Hobart

2 February – Australia vs New Zealand only T20 in Sydney