India
India have won the previous three editions of the Border-Gavaskar Series against Australia (Credits: Twitter)

India’s Schedule For The Next World Test Championship Cycle Announced as the ICC World Test Championship’s 2nd edition from 2021-2023 will begin with the 5-match Test series against England and end with the tour of Bangladesh. The first cycle of the ICC World Test Championship concluded with the Indian cricket team ending second best despite dominating the league stage of the competition.

Putting behind the disappointment of the defeat in the final against New Zealand, the Virat Kohli-led side is now gearing up for the second cycle of the ICC World Test Championship which begins for India with the 5-match Test series against England, starting August 04 at Trent Bridge.

ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 Winners New Zealand
ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 Winners New Zealand Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters

India Play England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, And Bangladesh In The ICC World Test Championship’s 2nd Edition

After the conclusion of the England series, Indian cricketers will keep themselves busy with the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2021 and the ICC T20 World Cup.

India’s second assignment in the Test Championship (2021-23) will be against defending champions New Zealand at home. The series is likely to take place after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in November this year. Their third assignment will be when they lock horns with South Africa in December-January in the Rainbow nation before hosting Sri Lanka in a 3-match Test series.

Indian test team
Indian test team[photo: Twitter]
After a lengthy break from the longest format of the game, the team will then battle it out against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will take place in the second half of 2022. The team’s second WTC campaign will conclude with a 2-match Test series against Bangladesh.

India’s WTC schedule 2021-23:

– India tour of England (5 Test matches)

  1. August 4-8: England vs India, First Test, Trent Bridge
  2. August 12-16: England vs India, Second Test, Lord’s
  3. August 25-29: England vs India, Third Test, Headingley
  4. September 2-6: England vs India, Fourth Test, Kennington Oval
  5. September 10-14: England vs India, Fifth Test, Old Trafford

– New Zealand tour of India (2 Test matches)

– India tour of South Africa (3 Test matches)

– Sri Lanka tour of India (3 Test matches)

– India tour of Bangladesh (2 Test matches)

 Virat Kohli-led India’s Aim Is To Finish The League Stage Among The Top 2 Sides

Virat Kohli & Co. would look to put in a similarly dominant performance in the 2nd phase of the Test Championship as they did in the first phase. With the initial aim being to finish the league stage among the top two sides, Virat Kohli would be hopeful of a WTC final series this time rather than a one-off contest, having publicly expressed the same after his team’s defeat to the Kiwis.

Virat Kohli, Image Source : AP IMAGE
Virat Kohli, Image Source: AP IMAGE

The 32-year-old spoke about the need for a minimum of three-Test series in the future to decide the potential winners of the WTC Final. The next WTC Final will now be played in 2023 and Virat Kohli like coach Ravi Shastri and former legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar feels one match is not enough to determine the winners.