Reports: India to play T20I series against South Africa, New Zealand before T20 World Cup

With not much time left before the T20 World Cup gets underway this year, teams around the globe have started their preparation for the marquee event. The seventh edition of the competition is scheduled to be held in October-November in India. The Men in Blue have also started their preparation for the tournament with the ongoing five-match T20I series against England.

After the series, the players will have a chance to prepare themselves further in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Not only that, the BCCI is reportedly looking to organise a couple of T20I series at home ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup. According to a report in The Times of India, India could lock horns against South Africa and New Zealand at home right before the T20 World Cup.

“South Africa and New Zealand are scheduled to come to India to play a couple of T20I series before the World Cup. The modalities are to be finalized. The board is aware that the team needs to be in touch with the format before the Cup starts,” a senior BCCI official told the paper.

South Africa had visited India last year in March for a three-match ODI series. However, the series had to be called off in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first game of the series was washed out before it was postponed. If the proposed T20I series go ahead this year, it would be compensation for last year’s cancelled series.

No scheduled series before T20 World Cup

As of now, Team India do not have any T20I series scheduled before the T20 World Cup. The ongoing series against England would be India’s last T20I assignment if the proposed series against South Africa and New Zealand do not go ahead. Perhaps that is the reason why the BCCI is keen to organise a couple of series before the marquee event.

Team India will travel to England after the conclusion of IPL 2021. Their sojourn in England would start with the final of the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand before they lock horns against England in a bilateral series. At the same time, the Asia Cup is scheduled to be played too but nothing is clear about it at the moment.