2020 has begun and for the Indian cricket team a packed set of 12 months is all set to begin. Virat Kohli's boys ended 2019 on a good note with an ODI series win vs West Indies which has hard-fought. Now a whole new year awaits and the Men in Blue are ready for action.
It all begins with some familiar rivals on the horizon. That's right, we are talking about Sri Lanka. They will play 3 T20Is against us and it starts on January 5. India are the clear favourites and a win here will be a big boost to start the year off on a winning note. After all, a good start will set the tone for the rest of the year.?
India's major overseas tour follows when they go to New Zealand. It is going to contain 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is and 2 Tests. That begins on January 24 and will spill into the first week of March. Now that's a long tour and will be a test for the players. Of course on our last overseas tour we won the Tests, ODIs and shared honours in the T20Is. This was against Australia in 2018-19 and that is something to be proud of.?
Before the much-awaited World T20, the Asia Cup will be held in Pakistan. India are the defending champions and shall be playing across the border for the first time since 2008. It will be in the T20 format and played in September. The dates are not yet out but expect our boys to steal the show.?
Then comes the icing on the cake, the World T20. We won the first edition in 2007. Since then we have made it to the final once and lost once in the semis. In 2016 we failed to win on home soil, now the aim is to bring the title home from Down Under. The competition begins on October 18 and shall last till November 15. Do not be surprised if we see Kohli holding the trophy.?
Of course the full calendar is not out yet. There will be smaller series packed in between and of course the IPL in April-May. All in all, it promises to be a good year for the game and by the end of it, India could be topping the charts in all three formats. The series against Sri Lanka is the first drop in the ocean. Time to get off the mark. ????