Ever since the pandemic has struck, Bio-bubble fatigue has become a pertinent problem while planning India’s cricket schedule and as a result, according to the latest reports, Team India will hardly get time off in the next eight months ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. As per the reports of TOI, BCCI is planning to squeeze in three more limited-overs overseas tours after the tour of England in July and before the T20 World Cup. India is scheduled to play a one-off T20I against Ireland while in the UK.
Flexibility will hold the key as India will be looking to prepare well for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. Batting positions will be determined and various scenarios will be considered. According to sources of TOI, India will be touring West Indies immediately after the England tour before traveling to Zimbabwe and then taking part in the Asia Cup in UAE as preparation for the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be commencing on October 16.
Once Sri Lanka’s tour of India is over on March 16, the Indian players will be preparing for the IPL 2022 which ends by the 4th week of May, followed by a five-match T20I series at home against South Africa till June 19. The team will fly out to the UK a week after the South Africa series.
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The Indian team management and selectors have already started contemplating a mega-pool comprising 35 Indian cricketers. With the one-off T20I in Ireland likely to overlap with the one-off Test in England, there is every chance India could be having two teams at different venues at a given time, much like how a second-string team visited Sri Lanka last year when the Test team was playing a series in England.
As per the quotes in TOI, a senior BCCI official said, “The discussions on bio-bubble breaks have already started. Every player has been communicated about the busy itinerary. They have been given time to think about when they would like to take a break. It’s likely a depleted side will travel to Zimbabwe. Ideally, the Asia Cup will be the right tournament to play the first team, in order to get combinations right before the T20 World Cup.”
Updated Indian team schedule till the T20 World Cup:
- 3 T20 & 2 Tests vs Sri Lanka
- IPL 2022
- 5 T20 vs South Africa
- 1 T20 vs Ireland
- 3 T20, 3 ODI, 1 Test vs England
- West Indies tour
- Zimbabwe tour
- Asia Cup
- T20 World Cup 2022
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Team India will be mostly playing T20Is on these tours. It will be a time for the final round of auditions for cricketers ahead of the mega event in Australia. However, the Indian head coach, Rahul Dravid has said that the team management has more or less identified the core of the team which will be taking part in the World Cup. After the last T20I against West Indies, Dravid had said that he didn’t want to spread his net too wide. But with such a busy schedule, he will like to have to play with a big pool of players.
