The Indian cricket team enjoyed a great year in 2023, dominating all formats and winning several comprehensive matches. Although their World Cup Final loss to Australia remains a bitter pill to swallow, their consistency of winning all 11 games before that in the tournament was extraordinary.
India also ended the year with T20I and ODI series wins over South Africa, and now they are gearing up to carry the momentum forward into 2024. Here, we shall look at India's key matches to look forward to at the beginning of 2024.
India vs South Africa 2nd Test match - January 3-7
This is just an extension of India's tour of South Africa that started in December 2023. The T20I and ODI series already got over in December, and this will be the second and final match of the Test series, scheduled to be played in Cape Town, Newlands. Rohit Sharma will lead India in this match again, but they could be seen making significant changes. Ravindra Jadeja could take his place back in the side again.
India vs Afghanistan T20I Series - January 11-17
Just four days after India's tour of South Africa ends, the Men in Blue will take on their Asian neighbour, Afghanistan, in a three-match T20I series at home. With Hardik Pandya out injured, it remains to be seen whether Suryakumar Yadav will take the reins as captain once again or Rohit Sharma will return to take over the responsibility.
As far as the series goes, the first match will be played at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on January 11. The second match is scheduled to be played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on January 14. In contrast, the third match will be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on January 17.
India vs England Test series - January 25 to March 11
England will visit India for a one-and-a-half month-long tour towards the end of January to play a total of five Test matches. The Tests will be played across five venues in India — Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi, and Dharamsala. Here is the schedule for the five Test matches:
1st Test: Jan 25-29.
2nd Test: Feb 2-6.
3rd Test: Feb 15-19.
4th Test: Feb 23-27.
5th Test: Mar 7-11.