India to tour Bangladesh for 5 T20Is as preparations for 2024 Women's T20 World Cup begin
Harmanpreet Kaur-led Team India is all set to tour Bangladesh for a five-match T20I series, starting on April 28 and concluding on May 9. With the next edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in Bangladesh later this year, the upcoming tour will act as a preparatory series for the two sides.
Sylhet will host all five fixtures, with three of them being day-night matches. While the evening games will be played at the main stadium, the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS), the two T20Is scheduled for afternoon hours will be hosted at the academy ground situated next to SICS.
The Indian women’s team’s last international outing was at home when they hosted Australia for a multi-format series, which included a one-off Test, three ODIs and as many T20Is.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, are currently hosting Australia for a bilateral series. The two sides squared off in a three-match ODI series, with the visitors winning all the fixtures. They’re currently gearing up for the third and final game of the T20I series, where Australia have an unassailable 2-0 lead.
India and Bangladesh last faced each other in July 2023 when Harmanpreet Kaur & company toured the neighboring nation for three T20Is and as many ODIs. While India clinched the T20I series 2-1, the ODI series ended in a 1-1 stalemate with the third and decider game seeing a tie.
Bangladesh achieved a monumental feat in the ODI series opener, as they bagged their first-ever victory against India in the history of the 50-over format. India staged a comeback in the second game to level the series before the third match ended in a tie, leading to both teams sharing the trophy.
The third match ended on a controversial note when the Indian skipper openly criticized the umpires, calling their decisions “pathetic.” Harmanpreet Kaur also smashed the stumps with her bat after being declared out during India’s chase. She faced severe consequences and was banned from India’s next two international fixtures.
The forthcoming T20I series against Bangladesh will also help the Women in Blue prepare themselves for the 2024 edition of the Women’s Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka in July 2024.
Of the eight seasons of the tournament, India have emerged victorious in seven and will enter the tournament as defending champions this year. While Bangladesh clinched the 2018 edition of the tournament, no other team has managed to win the Asia Cup.
Schedule for India tour of Bangladesh 2024