The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to postpone Team India’s proposed three-match ODI series against Afghanistan which was scheduled to be played in the month of June. The Indian players will now get almost one-month break after the WTC final which will be played from June 7.
The series was originally slated between June 23 and June 30 and there were speculations that the senior Indian players will be rested considering the workload management. However, as per the reports, the Indian board has now decided to not force the series in the month of June.
BCCI set to postpone IND vs AFG ODI series till September
“Yes, there will be a break after the WTC Final. We are still trying to fit in the Afghanistan series. But at this stage, it looks difficult with the broadcaster deal and the West Indies tour. So, it’s the perfect window for the players’ rest,” a senior BCCI official told as quoted by India.com.
“We will try to host the series in September. We are in touch with ACB on possible dates. Once the West Indies itinerary is finalised, we will have a clear picture and finalise the dates for the series,” the BCCI official further added.
It’s worth noting that Indian players participated in the IPL 2023 from March 31 to May 28 and haven’t got rest in the past few months. They will now face Australia in the all-important 2023 WTC final which will begin from June 7 at the Kennington Oval in London.
Team India players certainly need a break considering their busy schedule in 2023. They will feature in the Asia Cup in the month of September and in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in the months of October-November. In July, the Men in Blue will play against the West Indies side in a multi-format away series.
While the details of the IND vs AFG series haven’t been disclosed yet by the two boards, the series is now expected to be played in the month of September prior to the 2023 Asia Cup. Afghanistan is currently playing against Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka.
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Afghanistan won the first ODI convincingly by 6 wickets against the Dasun Shanaka-led side. However, they were hammered badly in the 2nd ODI as they got bundled out under 200 and lost by 132 runs while chasing a mammoth target of 324 runs against Sri Lanka.