MUMBAI: India, traditionally poor tourists, will have an opportunity to improve their test rankings when they host New Zealand and current top-ranked test team England either side of the Twenty20 World Cup in September.    

New Zealand will play two tests in India in August before taking on the hosts in two Twenty20 internationals as part of their preparations for the World Cup.

The fourth Twenty20 World Cup will be played in Asia for the first time when Sri Lanka hosts the tournament from September 18 to October 7.

England, who replaced India as the number one test side last year, will play four tests and two Twenty20 matches before flying home for Christmas.

The visitors will return in the new year to play a five-match one-day international series. 50-over World Champions India had a poor overseas record last season, when they suffered 4-0 whitewashes in test series in England and Australia.

The first test against New Zealand will take place in Hyderabad from Aug. 23 with the second starting on Aug. 30 in Bangalore.

The Twenty20 matches take place in Vishakhapatnam (September 8) and Chennai (September 11).

The Blackcaps lost their last series in India 1-0 in 2010 and are ranked eighth in the ICC test rankings, while India have slumped to fourth after the calamitous tours of England and Australia over the last year.

England will play three practice matches giving them ample time to adjust to the slow Indian pitches before the first test starts in Ahmedabad on November 15.

Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium will host the second test from November 23, followed by the third test at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on December 5. Nagpur will host the last test from December 13.

World Twenty20 champions England will play two T20 internationals on December 20 and 22 before leaving for home. The first ODI will be played on January 11 with the last match of the series on January 27.

India will also host Australia in Feb-March next year for a four-test series, the schedule of which will be finalised soon, the Indian cricket board said.

FIXTURES:

New Zealand tour to India: Aug. 23-27 - 1st test, Hyderabad Aug. 31-Sept. 4 - 2nd test, Bangalore Sept. 8 - 1st T20, Vizag Sept. 11 - 2nd T20, Chennai England tour to India: Nov. 15-19 - 1st test, Ahmedabad Nov. 23-27 - 2nd test, Mumbai Dec. 5-9 - 3rd test, Kolkata Dec. 13-17 - 4th test, Nagpur Dec. 20 - 1st T20, Pune Dec. 22 - 2nd T20, Mumbai Jan. 11 - 1st ODI, Rajkot Jan. 15 - 2nd ODI, Kochi Jan. 19 - 3rd ODI, Ranchi Jan. 23 - 4th ODI, Dharamsala Jan. 27 - 5th ODI, Mohali