India-England Test series will be of 'high quality', says Virat Kohli

Bengaluru, July 15: Indian captain Virat Kohli today (July 15) said the 5-match Test series against England later this year, will be of "high quality" and "competitive".

Ind-Eng series schedule

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Friday, announced the fixtures and venues for England's tour. ('England are the best Test side')

England will play 5 Tests, 3 One Day Internationals and 3 Twenty20 Internationals from November 2016 to February 2017.

The tour starts with the Test rubber from November 9 in Rajkot. The ODIs commence in Pune on January 15 while the T20Is will be played from January 26 in Kanpur.

In a video message posted by the BCCI on its Twitter page, both Kohli and head coach Anil Kumble spoke about the England series while announcing the schedule. The Indian team is currently in the Caribbean to play 4 Tests.

"I am happy to announce the schedule of India-England series. I have been involved in many Tests against England as a player but this is the first time that I will be involved in a 5-Test series as a coach. I am really looking forward to this contest," Kumble said.

England's tour of India 2016-17 #INDvENG - Full fixtures here - https://t.co/123hl9q9tG - @imVkohli @anilkumble1074https://t.co/IgGfsrFC0r

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 15, 2016

"Exactly my views are the same. This is going to be a competitive series. Both sides like to play hard fought cricket. England is one of the better sides in the world. So we can expect some high quality cricket even though we are playing at home. I urge fans from both the countries to come and support Test cricket," said Kohli as he spoke standing next to Kumble.

Before England arrive, India will host New Zealand for 3 Tests and 5 ODIs. Bangladesh and Australia are also slated to travel to India this season. In all, India will play 13 Tests at home in 2016-17 season.

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