Is the second wind of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma leading to a fixture congestion for Team India in the next 12 months? The answer could probably be a resounding yes as India are lined-up to play more ODIs than it was originally scheduled in the Future Tours Programme.
The understands that over the past couple of months, multiple boards have requested the BCCI to slot additional ODIs in their away tour, which the Indian board seems to have accepted.
While India have been predominantly playing white-ball tournaments since the Test series against South Africa, post the Indian Premier League, they will once again confront a busy schedule. Soon after the , India will host Afghanistan for one Test and three ODIs before flying to the UK to play three ODIs and 5 T20Is against England. And during that tour, India are likely to play Ireland as well.
The question right now is whether India will travel to Ireland for the series or instead play all the three matches in Southampton. It is understood that Cricket Ireland and the BCCI are in advanced talks to finalise the schedule and it could either be three T20Is or three ODIs either at the start of the tour in July or in the end.
Moreover, playing more ODIs will also help India with an eye on the September-October 2027 World Cup in South Africa played under conditions that will need adapting. Although the T20 team has been unbeatable, in ODIs India are still not a rounded outfit. It lacks balance, and their recent series defeat against New Zealand at home proved to be a reality check. The young players as head coach Gautam Gambhir said are yet to figure out the rhythm of playing 50 overs where they have to mix caution and aggression. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal in particular need experience as was evident in his outing against South Africa.
Post the white-ball tour of UK, as per the FTP India are scheduled to play two Tests in Sri Lanka. It is understood that after the floodlights were installed at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka Cricket is keen on hosting India in a pink-ball Test. Whether the BCCI accepts SLC’s request isn’t clear as India haven’t really warmed up to the concept of day-night Tests. However, given India’s recent struggles against spinners, playing a day-night Test could be a safer option than playing the matches at Galle and SSC during the day. While the tour was originally supposed to feature only two Tests, the SLC has requested the BCCI to include white-ball fixtures which would be used for flood-relief.
There were talks of India travelling to Sri Lanka in January to play two ODIs, but that was postponed to ensure the matches will be accommodated during the Test tour. There is a strong chance that the series will now include three matches, with the format still not decided as SLC is understood to be pushing for ODIs as it would bring in huge turnouts thanks to the presence of Sharma and Kohli.
In September, there could be a bit of breathing space. While India are scheduled to play 3 T20Is against Afghanistan in the UAE, given the current war climate that isn’t certain. Similarly, they have a white-ball tour of Bangladesh, which was originally supposed to take place in 2025, but was postponed to this year because of political reasons. The fate of that tour depends on the clearance from the government. If these two series don’t go ahead as per schedule, the only other commitment would be the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. During the last edition in Hangzhou, India fielded a second-string team and clinched gold. However, with cricket at the Olympics in 2028, the T20I team might look to get into multi-disciplinary Games mode.
Post the Asian Games, India will then host West Indies at home for three ODIs and 5 T20Is during the festive period in September-October. Once that series finishes, India will fly to New Zealand mid-October for a full-fledged series to kick-start their summer. Though they were scheduled to play two Tests, three ODIs and 5 T20Is, New Zealand Cricket is understood to have requested to include two more 50-over fixtures. As a result, they will now play 10 white-ball fixtures in all during that tour.
From there on India will be stationed at home for the next three months which will end with Sri Lanka arriving here to play three ODIs and 5 T20Is.
For the record, India won’t play a single Test at home in 2026, with 2014 being the last such instance. However, once they welcome 2027, they will host Australia for a five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
