The ‘A’ games will run in parallel with the white-ball leg of India’s tour of New Zealand, which features five T20Is and five ODIs starting October 22 and running until November 15.
The two Tests are scheduled from November 19 to 23 in Wellington and November 27 to December 1 in Christchurch. The first ‘A’ match will take place from October 24 to 27 in Lincoln, the second from October 31 to November 3 in Christchurch, and the third from November 7 to 10 in Lincoln.
The ‘A’ series will also overlap with the domestic season for both countries.
For Indian players, the schedule clashes with the Ranji Trophy, which begins on October 11. This means players who travel to New Zealand will not be available for their domestic sides.
For New Zealand players, the Ford Trophy, the country’s one-day tournament, runs from October 28 to November 12 before a break for the first-class Plunket Shield starting November 19.
Both teams view the ‘A’ series as vital preparation for the Test series, which carries significant weight in terms of the WTC standings.
New Zealand, currently in third place, are much better positioned than India and are scheduled to tour Australia in December-January. They also have series against Sri Lanka at home and Pakistan away in this cycle.
India sit in fifth place and will also face current table-toppers Australia, playing five Tests at home in January-February to complete their assignments in this WTC cycle.
