Chennai and Ahmedabad will host India’s upcoming four-Test series against England, the BCCI announced on Thursday.

The first two Tests will be played in Chennai (February 5-9 and February 13-17) while the newly refurbished Motera stadium, near Ahmedabad, will host the next two matches, including the Day-Night fixture from February 24.

Ahmedabad will also host the five-match T20I series between March 12 and 20 after the Test leg of the tour.

The three ODIs will be held in Pune from March 23 to 28.

However, no matches have been allotted to Eden Gardens, which last hosted a Test in November 2019, or Mumbai. Not long ago, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had mentioned Calcutta and Mumbai as possible venues for the tour.

It was learnt that the BCCI went by its rotation policy when awarding the matches. The strict guidelines for maintaining a bio-security bubble were also taken into account.

Ahmedabad, the home of BCCI secretary Jay Shah, has not hosted an international match for nearly six years. The last international match played at Motera was an ODI against Sri Lanka in November 2014. The stadium also has top-class residential arrangements for the players, support staff and match officials.

The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai last hosted a Test in December 2016, against England.

England will land in Chennai on January 27, a day after finishing their Test tour of Sri Lanka.

Spectators during a match at Eden Gardens File picture

The Test series will be the last assignment for both India and England in the inaugural cycle of the World Test Championship.

In a media release issued to announce the itinerary, the BCCI said they had “restricted” the England tour to just three venues as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. It, however, didn’t mention anything on whether fans would be allowed inside the stadium.

The England tour is the first international cricket that will be played in India since March this year, when South Africa had to abort their limited overs tour amid the pandemic.

“The BCCI prioritises the health and safety of both teams and will leave no stone unturned to make sure that the tour is held adhering to all safety protocols agreed by the BCCI and ECB medical teams,” Shah said.

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive officer, said he was satisfied with the BCCI’s planning to create a bio-secure environment.