India are set to host England for a five-match T20I series from January 22. On the face of it, this is just another calendar-filling set of matches, but there are enough subplots to make for compelling viewing.
At the best of times, bilateral T20I series in today's cricketing landscape serve one purpose – preparation for a major tournament. In the six to twelve months before a World Cup is when they garner the most attention, and appear to mean something a bit more.
Test and ODI series, meanwhile, with their longer durations, have more leeway and can exist in a more self-contained fashion: the series are relevant and significant for its own sake. And so, when T20I series comes outside a World Cup year, there's often an added layer of feeling about their futility. On the face of it, the upcoming India-England series is more or less the same – or even worse.
The Champions Trophy (a 50-over competition) starts next month, and the World Test Championship final is in June. Neither side is in the latter, but when the series was scheduled, either one of them could have made it.
(Why are there five T20Is and three ODIs in this tour just before a 50-over tournament instead of the other way around? *Shrug*)
