India to play one-off Test against Bangladesh next year

The Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) has announced a one-off Test match between India and Bangladesh. The match will take place in Hyderabad from February 08-12, 2017.

The series was been planned for a quite some time with cricketing boards from both the nations staying in touch over the matter. The busy cricketing calendar of India meant that finalising the date and venue had become a huge problem.

It was earlier mutually decided between both the BCCI and BCB that Bangladesh, who are yet to play a Test match on Indian soil ever since they attained the status of a Test-playing nation, travel for a one-off Test match in August 2016.

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However, the match was postponed to next year after BCCI requested BCB to send it’s team’s availability schedule until March 2017 citing problems to squeeze in the game into Team India’s tight schedule for the remainder of the year. India is supposed to play 17 matches until March next year.

Team India is currently in West Indies playing the four-match Test series. Later, it will host New Zealand and England starting from September till December.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, has two Test series scheduled till the month of January next year. They will first host England for a two-match series in October (there is doubt whether it will happen or not as the ECB has expressed its concern over the security of its team) following which the Tigers will travel for an overseas Test tour to New Zealand in January 2017.

“As a leading Test-playing nation, it is BCCI’s responsibility to give opportunity to every Test-playing nation. It is my pleasure to announce the historic one-off Test match against our neighbours Bangladesh early next year. This will be a great addition to our home season 2016-17,” Anurag Thakur, the BCCI president, said.