New Delhi: Having ended 2015 on a high after defeating the visiting South African side in test matches, team India will now look set to begin the 2016 on a winning note.
While the first half of the year will see plenty of action in the T20 and ODI format as team India look to win the coveted Asia cup and the World T20, the second half of 2016 will see Virat Koli and his boys will have another chance to reclaim the number one spot in Test cricket as India hosts New Zealand and England on its soil.
Here is the complete guide of Team India's schedule for 2016:
January 12-31
India's tour to Australia: Team India will begin their campaign in 2016 with a tough tour 'Down Under' in Australia. India will play a total of five One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 internationals (T20Is).
India, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, will look to win the series as it will help boost his confidence as skipper an unimpressive outing in 2015 in the ODI and T20 formats.
February
Sri Lanka's tour to India: After its return from Australia, Team India will play a short series against their southern neighbours Sri Lanka. India is likely to host Sri Lanka for three T20 international matches. The series will be viewed as preparation for the World T20 which is scheduled to be held in India.
March-April
Asia Cup in Bangladesh (Exact dates yet to be finalized):
Team India will travel to Bangladesh in the month of March. Dhoni's boys will look to become champions of Asia ahead of the coveted World Cup. It will be the first time that the Asia cup will be played in the T20 format.
ICC World T20 (March 8- April 3): The most awaited and the biggest cricketing extravaganza of the year.
Team India, who had lost to Sri Lanka in the previous edition, will look to cross the final hurdle this time around. Team India became the world champions in 2011 playing before the home crowd and will look to repeat the same in the T20 World Cup also.
April-May
Ninth Edition of IPL (April 9- May 29): The ninth edition of the cash-rich Indian Premiere League will begin just after a week of the World T20 series. This edition will see the introduction of two new teams from Rajkot and Pune.
This development follows the suspension of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) from participating in IPL for two years.
June
India's tour to Zimbabwe(Exact dates yet to be finalized): Team India will travel to the African nation Zimbabwe where it is scheduled to play a single test match. This will be followed by three One Day Internationals.
July-August
India's tour to West Indies (Exact dates yet to be finalized): After Zimbabwe, Team India travel to the Carribean Islands where they face off against West Indies. India is scheduled to play a four-match test series against West Indies. This will be the first in the Carribean Islands under the leadership of Virat Kohli.
Bangladesh's tour to India (Exact dates yet to be finalized) : Bangladesh will travel to India to play a single test match against Virat Kohli's boys.
October- November
New Zealand's tour to India (Exact dates yet to be finalized) : After Bangladesh, Team India square off against the visiting Kiwi side that is visiting India for a three test match series. This will be followed by five ODI matches.
November-December
England's tour to India (Exact dates yet to be finalized) : Team India would like to end the year on a high note as they face a resurgent English side. England will visit India to play a five-match test series against Virat Kohli's boys.
