India vs. England Cricket 2016: Schedule, Dates Revealed For Historic Tour

England will take part in its most extensive tour of India for more than 30 years beginning this November. The Board of Control for Cricket in India released the full schedule for the tour on Friday, which includes England playing a five-match Test series in India for the first time since 1976, as well as three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 contests.

The Test matches will take place in November and December before England head home for Christmas and the New Year and then return for the limited-overs duels. England last visited India in 2012, when it won its first Test series there since 1984. With India currently second in the Test rankings and England fourth, Test captain Virat Kohli is expecting a keenly contested series.

“The contest is going to be fierce, it’s is going to be a competitive series,” he said from the West Indies where India is preparing for a four-match Test series. “Both sides like to play hard-fought cricket. England is one of the better sides in the world, so we can expect some high quality cricket even though we are playing at home. I urge fans from both the countries to come and support both the teams and support Test cricket.”

India will host both Bangladesh and New Zealand before England come to town, but new head coach Anil Kumble, a former tormentor of England as a bowler, is eagerly looking forward to the series.

“I’ve been involved in many tussles against England as a player, but this is the first time that I’ll be involved in a five Test match series,” he said while alongside Kohli. “As coach I’m really looking forward to this contest.”

England is currently taking on India’s neighbor Pakistan in a home Test series, but director of England cricket and former captain Andrew Strauss, says England will relish the chance to repeat its success of four years ago.

“This promises to be a historic Test series – the first five-Test rubber England have played in India since 1984-85 and a great opportunity for Alastair Cook and his players to repeat the memorable Test series win we enjoyed on our last trip to India in 2012,” he said in a statement on the England and Wales Cricket Board’s website.

“Equally, Eoin Morgan’s white-ball squad will be anticipating hard-fought and competitive encounters against high-quality opposition in both formats – with the one-day series providing excellent preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy to come at home later in the summer of 2017.”

England in India 2016-17 Schedule

Nov. 9-13: 1st Test (Rajkot)

Nov. 17-21: 2nd Test (Vishakapatnam)

Nov. 26-30: 3rd Test (Mohali)

Dec. 8-12: 4th Test (Mumbai)

Dec. 16-20: 5th Test (Chennai)

Jan. 15: 1st ODI (Pune)

Jan. 19: 2nd ODI (Cuttack)

Jan. 22: 3rd ODI (Kolkata)

Jan. 26: 1st T20 (Kanpur)

Jan. 29: 2nd T20 (Nagpur)

Feb. 1: 3rd T20 (Bangalore)