The
England cricket team
The England men's cricket team represents cricket in England, England and cricket in Wales, Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Maryleb ...
toured India during February and March 2021 to play four
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film) ...
matches, three
One Day International
One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...
(ODI) and five
Twenty20 International
Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of Twenty20 cricket, in which each team plays a single innings with a maximum of twenty overs. The matches are played between international teams recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). ...
(T20I) matches. The Tests formed part of the inaugural
2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
The 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship was the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship of Test cricket. It started on 1 August 2019 with the 2019 Ashes series#First Test, first Test of the 2019 Ashes series, and finished with t ...
, and the ODI series formed part of the inaugural
2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. In December 2020, the full itinerary was released with three venues hosting the entire tour.
England won the first Test by 227 runs, and India won the second Test by 317 runs, to level the series at 1–1. The third Test, a
day/night fixture, was completed inside two days, with India winning by ten wickets. The loss meant that England could no longer qualify for the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
of the World Test Championship. India won the fourth and final Test by an innings and 25 runs, taking the series 3–1. The series win meant that India joined
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
in the final of the World Test Championship.
India won the fourth T20I match by eight runs, to level the series 2–2 with one match to play. India won the fifth and final T20I by 36 runs, to win the series 3–2. India won the first ODI by 66 runs, with England winning the second ODI by six wickets to level the series ahead of the final ODI of the tour. India won the third ODI by seven runs, winning the series 2–1.
Background
Originally, England were scheduled to tour India in September and October 2020 to play the ODI and T20I matches. However, after the 2020 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was
postponed by one year due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the
2020 Indian Premier League
The 2020 Indian Premier League (also known as IPL 13 and branded as Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020) was the thirteenth season of the Indian Premier League, a professional Twenty20 cricket (T20) league established by the Board of Control for ...
(IPL) was rescheduled to be played in its place. In February 2020, the
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at the Cricket Centre in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. BCCI is the wealthiest governing body ...
(BCCI) announced that they would like to play a
day/night Test match at the refurbished
Narendra Modi Stadium
Narendra Modi Stadium is a cricket ground in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. With a total capacity of 132,000, it is the List of stadiums by capacity, world's largest stadium. It is owned by the Gujarat Cricket Association, and hosts both domestic ...
. The
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board, aka ECB, is the Sports governing body, national governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was formed on 1 January 1997 as a single governing body to combine the roles formerly fulfilled by the Test ...
(ECB) confirmed the changes to England's tour in August 2020.
On 20 August 2020,
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), also known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali language, Bengali), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer. He is popularly called the ...
, president of the BCCI, said that India would host England to fulfil their
Future Tours Programme (FTP) commitments. In September 2020, the BCCI were also in discussions with the
Emirates Cricket Board with regards to using the United Arab Emirates to host the series, due to the COVID-19 situation. Later the same month, Sourav Ganguly reiterated that it was a "priority" to host the matches in India, and that the BCCI were continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation.
The tour's itinerary originally was scheduled to have five Tests, three ODIs and three T20I matches. However, in November 2020, Sourav Ganguly confirmed that one of the Test matches had been dropped with two more T20I matches added to the tour, in preparation for the
2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
The 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was the seventh edition of the Men's T20 World Cup, formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20, a Twenty20 cricket tournament that took place from 17 October to 14 November 2021. The tournament was hosted by Unit ...
. On 1 January 2021, the Government of India announced that up to 50% of fans would be allowed in stadiums for sporting events, and it was expected that the BCCI would also allow fans in the stadiums for the series. Initially, the BCCI and the
Tamil Nadu Cricket Association
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) is the governing body of cricket activities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is affiliated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India and governs the Tamil Nadu cricket team. The TNCA is one o ...
(TNCA) took the decision not to allow fans into the stadium for the first two Test matches. However, the decision was later reversed, with up to 50% of fans allowed to attend the second Test. On 27 January 2021, the England team arrived in
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
to begin their quarantine ahead of the first Test.
The
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global Sports governing body, governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England, and South Africa. In 1965, the body wa ...
(ICC) confirmed that
Nitin Menon would be one of the on-field umpires for the first two Test matches.
Anil Chaudhary and
Virender Sharma were also named as on-field umpires for the first and second Tests respectively, with both of them making their debuts as Test cricket umpires. The same set of match officials were retained for the third and fourth Test matches.
Ahead of the first Test,
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
secured the live broadcasting rights for the Test matches. The last time the channel screened live Test cricket in the United Kingdom was for the
2005 Ashes series. It was also the first full broadcast of an England overseas Test series on
terrestrial television
Terrestrial television, or over-the-air television (OTA) is a type of television broadcasting in which the content is signal transmission, transmitted via radio waves from the terrestrial (Earth-based) transmitter of a TV station to a TV rece ...
in the United Kingdom.
Crowds were allowed to attend the first two T20I matches, with more than 66,000 fans attending each of the two games. However, after a rise in COVID-19 cases in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
, the BCCI and the
Gujarat Cricket Association agreed to play the remaining T20I and ODI matches
behind closed doors.
Squads
On 19 January 2021, the BCCI named India's squad for the first two Test matches. They also named
K. S. Bharat,
Abhimanyu Easwaran
Abhimanyu Easwaran (); born 6 September 1995) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Bengal. He is a right-handed opening batter.
He also captained the India A cricket team, India B in Duleep Trophy and Bengal Ranji team.
Early life
Abhimanyu w ...
,
Shahbaz Nadeem,
Rahul Chahar and
Priyank Panchal as standby players, and
Ankit Rajpoot,
Avesh Khan,
Sandeep Warrier,
Krishnappa Gowtham
Krishnappa Gowtham (born 20 October 1988) is an Indian cricketer who played for Karnataka. He made his international debut for India in July 2021. His father M. Krishnappa represented Karnataka in kabaddi.
Career
Gowtham's professional career ...
and
Saurabh Kumar as net bowlers. Two days later, the ECB announced England's squad for the first two Test matches, with
James Bracey,
Mason Crane,
Saqib Mahmood,
Matt Parkinson,
Ollie Robinson and
Amar Virdi
Guramar Singh Virdi (born 19 July 1998), known as Amar Virdi, is an English cricketer. An off-spin bowler, Virdi played in two Under-19 internationals for England against Sri Lanka in 2016. He made his first-class debut for Surrey in the 2017 C ...
named as reserve players.
Ollie Pope
Oliver John Douglas Pope (born 2 January 1998) is an English cricketer who plays for the England cricket team in Test cricket and is the current vice-captain. He plays domestically for Surrey County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batter who ...
was not originally named in England's Test squad after sustaining an injury
against Pakistan, but was added to the squad on 3 February 2021, after the England medical team were satisfied he had recovered sufficiently. The following day,
Zak Crawley
Zak Crawley (born 3 February 1998) is an English international cricketer who plays Test cricket for the national team. A right-handed top-order batter, Crawley has also played One Day Internationals for England, and in 2023 captained the side i ...
was ruled out of England's squad for the first two Tests with a wrist sprain. Ahead of the first Test, both
Shahbaz Nadeem and
Rahul Chahar were added to India's squad, after
Axar Patel was ruled out of the match with a knee injury. England's
Jos Buttler
Joseph Charles Buttler (born 8 September 1990), known as Jos Buttler, is an English international cricket, cricketer and former captain of the England cricket team, national team. He plays for Lancashire County Cricket Club, Lancashire in dom ...
was rested for the last three Tests.
Jofra Archer was ruled out of England's squad for the second Test due to an elbow injury. Ahead of the second Test, both Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar were withdrawn from India's squad, returning to the reserves.
Following the conclusion of the second Test,
Jonny Bairstow
Jonathan Marc Bairstow (born 26 September 1989) is an English cricketer who played internationally for England cricket team, England in all formats as a right-handed wicket-keeper-batter. In domestic cricket, he has played for Yorkshire County C ...
and
Mark Wood were added to England's squad for the third Test.
Moeen Ali
Moeen Munir Ali (born 18 June 1987) is an English cricketer, who was formerly vice-captain of England in limited overs cricket. He played for England cricket team between 2014 and 2024. In domestic cricket he represents Warwickshire, having p ...
returned home to England, therefore missing the last two Test matches. On 17 February 2021, the BCCI announced the squad for the last two Test matches, with
Umesh Yadav joining the team and replacing
Shardul Thakur. The BCCI also retained the same five net bowlers, K. S. Bharat and Rahul Chahar as standby players, and released Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem and Priyank Panchal for the
Vijay Hazare Trophy. England's
Sam Curran
Samuel Matthew Curran (born 3 June 1998) is an English cricketer who has played for England in all formats. Although he is best known as a limited overs player, Curran has expressed his desire to return to the Test side, his last Test having b ...
was originally going to be available for the fourth Test, but was ruled out of the Test match due to the logistical challenges during the pandemic. Ahead of the fourth Test,
Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah (; born 6 December 1993) is an Indian cricketer who plays for the national team in all formats of the game and has captained India in Tests and T20Is. A right-arm fast bowler, Bumrah plays for Gujarat in domestic cri ...
and
Chris Woakes
Christopher Roger Woakes (born 2 March 1989) is an English cricketer who plays internationally for England cricket team, England in all formats. In domestic cricket, he represents Warwickshire County Cricket Club, Warwickshire, and has played i ...
were released from India's and England's squads respectively.
On 11 February 2021, England announced their T20I squad with
Jake Ball and
Matt Parkinson being named as reserves.
Danny Briggs,
Tom Helm and
Will Jacks were also named as non-travelling reserves for England's limited-overs fixtures. Rahul Chahar was added to India's T20I squad, after being one of the standby players for the Test series. On 19 March 2021, India named their ODI squad, with
Prasidh Krishna
Muralikrishna Prasidh Krishna (; born 19 February 1996) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for Indian national cricket team. He also plays for Karnataka in domestic cricket and Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. He is a r ...
,
Krunal Pandya and
Suryakumar Yadav earning their maiden call-ups. Two days later, England confirmed their ODI squad, with
Jofra Archer being ruled out due to an elbow injury.
Jake Ball,
Chris Jordan and
Dawid Malan remained with the England squad as reserve players.
Shreyas Iyer injured his shoulder in the first ODI match, and was ruled out of India's squad for the remaining two fixtures.
Eoin Morgan
Eoin Joseph Gerard Morgan (born 10 September 1986) is an Irish-born English former cricketer and current commentator. He captained the England cricket team in limited overs cricket from 2015 until his international retirement in June 2022. He ...
was ruled out of final two ODIs, with
Jos Buttler
Joseph Charles Buttler (born 8 September 1990), known as Jos Buttler, is an English international cricket, cricketer and former captain of the England cricket team, national team. He plays for Lancashire County Cricket Club, Lancashire in dom ...
captaining England in Morgan's absence.
Sam Billings was also ruled out of the second ODI with Dawid Malan added to England's squad.
Test series
1st Test
2nd Test
3rd Test
4th Test
T20I series
1st T20I
2nd T20I
3rd T20I
4th T20I
5th T20I
ODI series
1st ODI
2nd ODI
3rd ODI
Notes
References
External links
Series home at ESPNcricinfo
{{DEFAULTSORT:English cricket team in India in 2020-21
2021 in English cricket
2021 in Indian cricket
International cricket competitions in 2020–21
2020–21