England announce India tour itinerary

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday revealed the itinerary for England's winter tour to India that will include four Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20s. England will leave on October 25 for a three-day training camp in Dubai before heading to India four days later, with the first Test beginning on November 15 in Ahmedabad. Following further five-day matches in Mumbai, Kolkata and Nagpur, England will then play two T20s in Pune and Mumbai on December 20 and 22 respectively before travelling home for Christmas and returning for the ODIs in the new year. The first 50-over game begins on January 11 in Rajkot, with all five clashes set to be day-night encounters. "This will be England's first full tour of India since 2008 and I am sure that cricket fans in both countries will be eagerly anticipating an exciting series of contests in all three formats of the game," the Managing director of England Cricket Hugh Morris said. "ECB will also be seeking to finalise an England Performance Programme camp in India before Christmas which will help prepare members of both our Test and T20 squads." England went top of the Test world rankings as Andrew Strauss led the team to a 4-0 whitewash over the World Cup winners last year. But England have struggled in subsequent tours in the sub-continent, losing 3-0 to Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates before drawing the two-Test series in Sri Lanka. They will be looking to take some momentum into the winter, however, following home series with West Indies and South Africa.