After a long break of four years, the Indian cricket team is coming to Bangladesh again. The Indian team can play a series of three ODIs and three T20I matches on the soil of Bangladesh in September. India’s T20I series against Afghanistan may be pushed back by a few days due to Bangladesh’s possible tour.
The Indian cricket team was supposed to tour Bangladesh in July, but the series was postponed due to intense political unrest in the neighboring country and the anti-India sentiments of Bangladesh’s interim government. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have resumed talks on the postponed series and BCB officials are hopeful that the series will be held in September.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has already started preparations to sell the broadcast rights of the series against India. A BCB official told the media that they are optimistic about the series. Although he is yet to get a green signal from the BCCI, he said the Indian board has not said it will not send the team. The official hoped to get a positive response from the BCCI soon.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Cricket Board President Tamim Iqbal attended the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Scotland recently and got a positive signal about organizing the India-Bangladesh series. After taking charge of the BCB, Tamim Iqbal made it clear that he was keen to maintain good cricketing relations with India.
As per the previous schedule, India was supposed to play a limited-overs series against Afghanistan from September, however, if India tour Bangladesh, the series against Afghanistan could start a few days back in September, giving India time for the Bangladesh series after the tour of Sri Lanka. However, after four years, it is believed that the cricketers’ rest time will be reduced during the tour of Bangladesh. All eyes are now on BCCI’s next decision.