Baraspara Cricket Stadium possible hosts for India's home series against England next year

The series will be immediately after India return from New Zealand after completing their assignment there on February 10.

The three ODIs against England will be a part of the ICC Women’s Championship. India are currently placed fifth on the table with eight points from nine games, while England are third with ten points from similar number of games. India have a chance to improve their standing during the three ODIs in New Zealand.

This will be England’s second tour to India in less than a year. They had come in March this year. First they played in a triangular T20I series in Mumbai, which also involved Australia. They lost to Australia in the final. Then they travelled to Nagpur for three ODIs against India, which the hosts won 2-1. Those matches, however, were not a part of the Championship.

If Baraspara indeed gets a nod to host the six matches then it will be another leap for the venue, which only hosted its first international game in October 2017. It has so far hosted one men’s T20I (India vs Australia) and ODI (India vs Windies in October 2018).

The decision to host the matches in a smaller centre could be seen as another step by BCCI to popularise women’s cricket. While the tri-nation series in Mumbai this year hardly attracted crowd, the preceding three ODIs against Australia in Baroda were played in a packed stadium.

India have played three ODIs in Assam, the last being in Silchar in 2005 when Jhulan Goswami took 5 for 16 to dismiss England for 50 and script a ten-wicket win that helped Mithali Raj’s team take an unassaible 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Three days prior to that India had beaten England by eight wickets at the old Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.

India’s first match in Guwahati was in November 1995, also against England. It was memorable for the way the spin trio of Pramila Bhat, Sangita Dabir and Neetu David successfully defended 85 to complete a seven-run win.

All those matches were played before BCCI took charge of women’s cricket in India in 2006.