Dates, venues locked in for India tour

The venues and dates for Australia’s Qantas Tour of India have finally been confirmed, 10 days before the series gets underway.

A five-match ODI series will start in Chennai on September 17, meaning Steve Smith's team will fly direct to India from neighbouring Bangladesh having squared the two-Test series against the Tigers on Thursday.

Australia will also play ODIs in Kolkata (September 21), Indore (September 24), Bengaluru (September 28) and Nagpur (October 1) before a three-match T20I series that will be played in Ranchi (October 7), Guwahati (October 10) and Hyderabad (October 13).

The Aussies are also scheduled to play a 50-over practice match in Chennai on September 12.

Image Id: 52837C20F12C4634A9E7C333783A3DFF Image Caption: Australia's tour will begin in Chennai // Getty

While the venues and dates had been reported by various media outlets, they weren't officially locked in until late Thursday evening when the BCCI's Tours and Fixtures Committee confirmed a mammoth home Indian season that will see Virat Kohli's team play 23 international matches across the formats.

Australia were involved in four of the first five ODIs ever played in Chennai, but have not visited the ground for a 50-over match since 1996. In a pleasing omen for Steve Smith's team, Australia have won on all four of their previous visits, most recently against New Zealand by six wickets in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final, when Mark Waugh scored a century.

Image Id: 5B296A8300384D838085FAA07CF26954 Image Caption: Mark Waugh during his match-winning century against NZ in 1996 // Getty

Eden Gardens, the famous coliseum of cricket in Kolkata, has hosted 29 ODIs, but this will be only the third visit by an Australian team since its first in 1987.  

The ground holds a special place in the heart of the 1987 World Cup winners, being the venue that hosted the final and saw Mike Gatting play cricket's most ill-advised reverse sweep off the bowling of captain Allan Border.

On Australia's 2003 visit, 61 from Damien Martyn and 4-21 in 4.5 overs by Ian Harvey secured Australia a 37-run win against India in the final of the 2003 TVS Cup.

Image Id: D642DFACC1454675A7488736AA8F1530 Image Caption: Damien Martyn was Australia's match-winner in Kolkata in 2003 // Getty

Australia have played eight previous ODIs in Bengaluru, winning three and losing four (with one washout), the most recent of which saw Rohit Sharma hit a double-century in 2013.

The Vidarbha Ground in Nagpur has twice seen Australia win in two previous visits, in 1996 and 2007.

Indore's Holkar Stadium will be a new venue for the Australian cricket team. Indore hosted its first Test late last year and in four ODIs at the ground, India have never lost.

Only one of the three venues for Australia's T20 series have hosted the international version of the shortest format before.

Ranchi's sole T20 international saw India thrash Sri Lanka by 69 runs in February last year. The Australians were at the venue last March for the third Test of the hotly-contested Border-Gavaskar series, where Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh battled to earn the visitors a draw.

Basapara Stadium is a newly constructed 60,000-seat venue in Guwahati, the largest city in the Assam region in north-east India. The Australian visit will mark the first major match at the venue, although Australia have played three ODIs in the city before, winning twice at the nearby Nehru Stadium. Their last visit to the region was in 2009 when Doug Bollinger's 5-35 helped the visitors to a six-wicket win.

Image Id: 41E15C0A1E154FD59542779765DF5D9B Image Caption: Doug Bollinger took five in Guwahati in 2009 // Getty

The final T20 venue is one that Australia opener David Warner will be intimately familiar with, and can expect a warm welcome at despite wearing Australian gold. The match will be played at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, home of Warner's IPL franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Conversely, it may not hold such fond memories for Steve Smith; the ground hosted this year's IPL final where Smith's Rising Pune Supergiant franchise were beaten by the Mumbai Indians by one run.

Australia's visit will be followed by limited overs matches against New Zealand while India will play multiple Tests as well as both limited-overs formats against Sri Lanka in an expanded tour that fills the void left by Sarfraz Ahmed's Pakistan after both countries' governments were unable to agree terms for a tour.

Australia's Qantas Tour of India

Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

Australia T20 squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa.

India squad: TBC

First ODI - MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, September 17

Second ODI - Eden Gardens, Kolkata, September 21

Third ODI - Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, September 24

Fourth ODI - M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, September 28

Fifth ODI - Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur, October 1

First T20 - JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi, October 7

Second T20 - Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati, October 10

Third T20 - Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, October 13