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India to play two Tests in 2022-25 cycle; Asia Cup slotted for October this year

Jhulan Goswami gave India their first breakthrough Getty Images

India are set to play two Tests, both at home, in the 2022-25 women's FTP cycle. The first, against England, will be in December 2023, and the second, against Australia, will be part of the tour from December 2023 to January 2024. England (five) will play the most Tests, in this FTP, followed by Australia (four), and South Africa (three). As such, these are the only four women's teams playing Test cricket in this period.

There's also the resumption of the T20 Asia Cup after a gap in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The window for it is in the first half of October this year. The venue for it hasn't been finalised yet. The last time the women's Asia Cup was played, in 2018 in Malaysia, Bangladesh beat India off the last ball in the final.

India have a total of four home series in 2023-24, which will feature a total of 23 international games. South Africa will kickstart India's season in September 2023 with three ODIs and three T20Is, before New Zealand's tour in October for the same number of fixtures in both formats. After more than a month's gap, England will visit India in December for a Test and three T20Is, followed by Australia's arrival for a Test, three ODIs and three T20Is over December 2023 and January 2024.

England last played a Test in India in 2005, while Australia last visited India for Test-match cricket way back in 1984.

After the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February 2023, there is a gap in the FTP from March to May for all teams, which is set to serve as a window for the inaugural women's IPL as well as the FairBreak Invitational T20 tournament in Hong Kong. As of now, the BCCI is looking to hold the women's IPL in March as a standalone tournament, prior to the men's chapter starting in April. The women's domestic season has been advanced by a month for the women's IPL and is scheduled to end in February next year with the inter-zonal one-day competition.

Overall, the FTP includes 27 ODIs and 36 T20Is for India as part of their home-and-away bilateral engagements, and a T20I tri-series in the lead up to the 2023 T20 World Cup. India have already played three ODIs and three T20Is in Sri Lanka in June-July this year, which are part of the FTP. In effect, the FTP started in May 2022 and will run till the end of April 2025. India's next assignment is a tour of England for three ODIs and three T20Is in September, followed by a home series against Australia for five T20Is to end the year.

At the start of 2023, India will fly to South Africa for a T20I tri-series also involving West Indies before the T20 World Cup, which will also be held in South Africa in February. Then, in June 2023, India will tour Bangladesh for three ODIs and three T20Is before returning for their home season, where they host South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia.

There is very little cricket scheduled for India in the 2024 calendar year. Once Australia leave India in early 2024, the next assignment will be a reciprocal tour of Australia at the end of the year for three ODIs, before they return home to host West Indies (three ODIs and three T20Is) in December 2024 and Ireland (three ODIs and three T20Is) in January 2025 in the lead up to the 50-over World Cup at home in April.