The revised T20I schedule of India now sees the first game against Bangladesh, earlier slotted for October 6 in Dharamsala, being shifted to Gwalior. The reason is that extensive renovation work and upgrading are being carried out in the dressing rooms at Dharamsala by the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, thereby leaving the place unavailable. More historic will be the match in Gwalior since it will be the first game in the newly constructed Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium.

This will be the first international cricket game in Gwalior since Sachin Tendulkar’s legendary double century in an ODI against South Africa way back in 2010—the first-ever double hundred in ODI cricket. More importantly, there has been a revision in the itinerary for England’s tour of India in January 2025.

It will now commence at one of England’s favorite grounds—the Eden Gardens in Kolkata—but the venues of the first and second T20Is will be swapped.  The opening match of this series is now slated to go ahead at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens, and the second T20I will be held at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.

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The dates for these games remain the same with the first T20I scheduled for January 22 and the second on January 25. This change of venue was forced upon after the Kolkata Police made a request to the Cricket Association of Bengal because of prior commitments and obligations surrounding Republic Day celebrations.

Gwalior’s new stadium – Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium will host 1st international match.

1st T20I between India and Bangladesh, initially set to be held in Dharamsala on 6th October 2024, will now take place in Gwalior owing to upgrades and renovation work being… pic.twitter.com/PSdyB8xnNV

— SportsTiger (@The_SportsTiger) August 13, 2024

These changes come in the midst of a cluttered home season for India, with five Tests, three ODIs and eight T20Is spread over five months. Beginning with a two-Test series against Bangladesh from September 1, it will be followed by three T20Is between September 19 and October 12.

Next up will be a three-Test series against New Zealand between October 16 and November 5, before India embarks on the difficult task of going to Australia for the marquee five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which takes place from November 22 to January 7. The home season will resume with a five-match T20I series against England from January 22, followed by three ODIs, going on till February 12, 2025.

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But more importantly, the three ODIs against England will be the only preparation games ahead of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan. This jam-packed schedule runs a long way to underline the importance of the coming fixtures as India gets into a very crucial phase in international cricket; that is, balancing preparation and performance with major tournaments lined up on the road ahead.