India, who were going through testing times, recently defeated Zimbabwe 3-0 in a T20I series to put to bed all claims of their downfall. Prior to this series in southern Africa, India were whitewashed 0-2 by Ireland and 0-4 by England in successive T20I series. They were also defeated 1-2 by England in a three-match ODI series. The ODI series loss hurt India tremendously since they had the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in their ranks for the ODIs, but were unable to keep the home team at bay.
However, success in the Zimbabwe series is likely to give the Indians some breathing room. The fact that regular head coach Gautam Gambhir was rested and VVS Laxman handed the reins has not passed Indian fans’ keen eyes, and a lot will depend on how the Men in Blue regroup. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi almost single-handedly won the series for India against Zimbabwe, piling up 151 runs in three matches, including two half-centuries. The 15-year-old overcame all expectations and displayed immense maturity for his age.
Now that the Zimbabwe series is wrapped up, what awaits the Indian cricket team next? The Men in Blue are next tasked to tour Sri Lanka, where they will play two Test matches, starting on August 15, India’s Independence Day. The second Test is likely to conclude on August 27, after which India will host the West Indies, who will arrive for a three-ODI and five-T20I series. The first ODI against the West Indies will be played in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, and the last T20I will take place on October 17 in Bengaluru.
In the winter, India will take flight to New Zealand, where they will take part in a lengthy tour consisting of five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. The first T20I of this tour will take place on October 22, and the Indians are not expected to be back home till the first week of December, after the Test series concludes. Less than a fortnight later, Shubman Gill’s men will return the favour to Sri Lanka, who will arrive for a three-ODI and three-T20I series starting on December 13 and ending two days after Christmas.
Here is the full schedule of India’s upcoming fixtures in 2026:
India tour of Sri Lanka
Aug 15-19, 2026 1st Test Galle
Aug 23-27, 2026 2nd Test Colombo (SSC)
West Indies tour of India
Sep 27, 2026 1st ODI Thiruvananthapuram
Sep 30, 2026 2nd ODI Guwahati
Oct 3, 2026 3rd ODI Tira
Oct 6, 2026 1st T20I Lucknow
Oct 9, 2026 2nd T20I Ranchi
Oct 11, 2026 3rd T20I Indore
Oct 14, 2026 4th T20I Hyderabad
Oct 17, 2026 5th T20I Bengaluru
India tour of New Zealand
Oct 22, 2026 1st T20I Christchurch
Oct 24, 2026 2nd T20I Christchurch
Oct 27, 2026 3rd T20I Wellington
Oct 30, 2026 4th T20I Auckland
Nov 1, 2026 5th T20I Hamilton
Nov 4, 2026 1st ODI Auckland
Nov 7, 2026 2nd ODI Wellington
Nov 10, 2026 3rd ODI Hamilton
Nov 13, 2026 4th ODI Mount Maunganui
Nov 15, 2026 5th ODI Mount Maunganui
Nov 19-23, 2026 1st Test Wellington
Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2026 2nd Test Christchurch
Sri Lanka tour of India
Dec 13, 2026 1st ODI Delhi
Dec 16, 2026 2nd ODI Bengaluru
Dec 19, 2026 3rd ODI Ahmedabad
Dec 22, 2026 1st T20I Rajkot
Dec 24, 2026 2nd T20I Cuttack
Dec 27, 2026 3rd T20I Pune
