India-England Tests begin on November 9

England will open their two-part tour of India with the first Test from November 9 in Rajkot, the BCCI announced on Friday, unveiling the schedule for the tour comprising five Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is.

England will complete the Test leg by December 20 and then return home for a break over Christmas and New Year, and come back to India for the limited-overs games in January.

Visakhapatnam will host its first Test, the second of the series, from November 17, with Mohali, Mumbai and Chennai to host the third, fourth and fifth Tests starting November 26, December 8 and December 16 respectively.

After their return in January, England will play two warm-up one-dayers in Mumbai ahead of the first ODI in Pune on January 15. Cuttack and Kolkata will complete the ODI leg, while Kanpur, Nagpur and Bengaluru are scheduled to host the T20Is that conclude on February 1.

"This is going to be a fierce and competitive series," India's Test captain Virat Kohli said. "England is one of the better sides in the world, and we can expect some high quality cricket from both sides."

Anil Kumble, India's head coach added: "To be involved in a five-Test series against England is quite exciting. I've had fierce battles against them in the past, and I'm looking forward to this."

Andrew Strauss, ECB's director of cricket, welcomed the scheduling of a five-Test series, which will be England's first in India since 1984-85. "It's a great opportunity for Alastair Cook and his players to repeat the memorable Test series win we enjoyed on our last trip to India in 2012," he said. "Equally, Eoin Morgan's white-ball squad will be anticipating hard-fought and competitive encounters against high quality opposition in both formats - with the one-day series providing excellent preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy to come at home later in the summer of 2017."