Indian Cricket Team 2018 schedule

2017 was a year to remember for the Indian team as they ended it without losing a bilateral series, barring the one-off T20I against West Indies. The Men in Blue ended with 37 wins in the 53 matches they played this year with a winning percentage of 70.

After playing a majority of their Cricket at home, in Sri Lanka and in the Carribean islands, the Indian team will have their task cut out in 2018 as they are scheduled to tour South Africa and Australia.

What else do the Indian team have at stake in 2018? Let us take a look at the schedule of the Indian team in 2018 in which they are scheduled to play 47 matches (approx).

India tour of South Africa: January 5 to February 24

India will kick off 2017 with the tour of South Africa that will get underway at the Newlands in Capetown on January 5. Over the next month and a half, Virat Kohli and co. will take on the Proteas in three Tests, six ODIs and three T20Is.

This is one of the most anticipated series as this is the first time the current Indian team will travel overseas for a competitive series (not including the tour of Sri Lanka and West Indies) since the 2015 New Year Test in Sydney. This is also the first time Kohli will be leading an Indian team in conditions that are unfamiliar to the Indian cricketers.

The matches that will be taking place on this tour will be telecasted on channels owned by Sony Pictures Network India private limited.

Tri-series in Sri Lanka for the Nidahas Trophy: March

Right after India's tour of South Africa, the Indian team will be taking part in a T20I tri-series to mark the 70th anniversary of Sri Lankan independence. The series will be called Nidahas Trophy and it involves Bangladesh and hosts Sri Lanka as the other two teams.

SLC has already announced that the series will start on March 8 and three teams will play each other twice while the top two will play in the final on March 20. Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium will host all the seven matches in the tournament and the matches will be telecasted on channels owned by Sony Pictures Network India private limited.

Indian Premier League: April-May

The eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League will be played from April 4 till May 31 (tentative dates) and the Governing Council is expected to release the schedule anytime. The 2018 IPL auction will take place on January 27 and 28 and this year's auction will have almost all the players coming into the auction pool.

2018 IPL will also see Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals coming back into the fray after serving a suspension for two years. It is also expected that this edition will have a total of 60 matches and Star Sports will be the official broadcasters for this tournament.

India tour of United Kingdom: June-September

The Indian team will get a brief break after the IPL ahead of their tour of England. It is expected that some players will be travelling to the United Kingdom to play in the County Championships in order to get familiar with the conditions in the European nation ahead of their long tour that gets underway on July 3.

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The tour will kick start with a three-match T20I series followed by three ODIs and five Tests that will go on till September 11. Star Sports have the rights to telecast this series. Before the start of the T20I series against England, India is expected to play a couple of ODIs against the Irishmen in Ireland.

Asia Cup: September

Shortly after the England series, Kohli and his men will play in the Asia Cup in their own backyard. The tournament will tentatively start on September 15 and will go on for the next two weeks with the final being scheduled for September 30.

Apart from hosts India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are certain to take part in the tournament and the sixth team will be the winner of the 2018 Asia Cup Qualifier. The matches will be telecasted on Star Sports.

West Indies tour of India: October- November

According to ICC's FTP, India are scheduled to host West Indies in three Tests, five ODIs and one T20I in October but there is no confirmation about the series till date.

India tour of Australia: November 2018-February 2019

Towards the end of the year, India will tour Australia where they will play at least four Test matches. Since there is time for the series to get underway and the host association, Cricket Australia, are busy with their ongoing season, there is no clear picture on the number of Tests India will play and their participation in any limited-overs tournament involving the Men in Blue.

This series will be broadcasted live on channels owned by Sony Pictures Network India private limited.

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