From South Africa to Australia – Team India set for tough tours in 2024

Waiting for the New Year 2024 to unfold, cricket lovers in India are getting ready for one another exciting year packed with bunches of exciting matches under different categories played at home and abroad. Here is a list of the upcoming tournaments and series, giving you a simple yet detailed look at what is in store for Indian cricket in 2024.

Types of cricket matches

There are three formats of cricket matches played by the Indian cricket team following the international model namely Test Matches, One-day Internationals and Twenty 20 International. All these matches are governed by the rules and regulations given by the International Cricket Council. The ICC also provides the match officials for all these types of matches.

The traditional form of the game, test cricket, has been played since 1877, which has now been settled in a five-day format comprising two innings each. Played over a longer period of time, test cricket is deemed as the pinnacle form as the teams have to exhibit temperament, technique and endurance to shine well in these types of matches.

One Day Internationals or ODIs are played from 1971, but became popular during the 1980s. These one-innings matches consist of 50 overs per side and demand speed, skill and technique on part of the contesting teams. Once in four years, the ICC Cricket World Cup is played in this format.

The latest, fastest and the shortest format of cricket is Twenty 20 International, which has been played since 2005. This format has brought in new audiences and has also given rise to some innovation and new skill sets into the gamut of cricket. Usually completed within three hours, Twenty 20 International matches are popular globally characterised by skillful bowling and astonishing fielding.

Indian cricket - tournaments and series in 2024

2024 will be yet another eventful year for the Indian cricket team. India is all set to play two test series – one with England at home during January – March and the other with Australia away during November – December. In addition, the 2024 cricket calendar for the Indian team also shows a total of four WTC (World Test Championship) series. In June 2024, the team will play in the T20 World Cup and will tour Sri Lanka in July. A rare feature to find in the Indian cricket calendar, the Indian team will have a break in August 2024 when there will not be any international series scheduled for the month.