NEW DELHI: England will embark on their lengthy tour of India later this year with Rajkot hosting the first of the five Test matches from Nov 9, the two cricket boards announced on Friday.

The western Indian city of Rajkot will be making its debut as a Test venue in the series, as will be coastal Vishakapatnam, which hosts the second Test from Nov 17.

Mohali, Mumbai and Chennai will host the remaining matches of what would be England's first five-Test rubber in India since 1984-85.

Beginning on Jan 15, England will also play three One-dayers and as many Twenty20 Internationals.

“This promises to be a historic Test series... and 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,” Andrew Strauss, Director England Cricket, said in a statement.

“Equally, Eoin Morgan's white-ball squad will be anticipating hard-fought and competitive encounters against high quality opposition in both formats...” he added.