IND vs AUS: BCCI confirms third Test shifted from Dharamsala to Indore

Following an early finish to the Test series opener between India and Australia in Nagpur, news emerged that the third Test match of the ongoing Border Gavaskar series, which was scheduled to take place in Dharmasala from 1st to 5th March, will be moved to a different venue. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now confirmed that the third Test will be hosted at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. 

It is worth noting that several reports on Sunday confirmed that the HPCA stadium, which has hosted just one Test match so far, won't be able to entertain India and Australia for the third Test due to renovation works at the ground. The BCCI confirmed the same in an official statement on Monday morning. Meanwhile, this will mark the second international game at the Holkar Stadium in less than two months.

"The third Test of the Australia tour of India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, originally scheduled to take place at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala from 1st to 5th March has now been moved to Holkar Stadium, Indore. Owing to harsh winter conditions in the region, the outfield lacks sufficient grass density and will need some time to develop fully," read BCCI's official statement.

The picturesque cricket venue misses out on the third Test

The HSPA relaid the entire outfield post-monsoon due to the harsh weather conditions in the region, which delayed their preparations for the third Test between India and Australia. Because of the renovations, Himachal had to play their home games at the Nadaun Stadium throughout the Ranji Trophy season.

An anonymous HSPA official was hopeful that the venue would pass the BCCI's inspection and would be able to host the third Test match. However, the BCCI decided to shift the venue to Indore after a team of officials found the venue undercooked for their upcoming Test assignment. They reckoned that the venue was not tested in domestic matches, which is a common practice after a new outfield is relaid.

The Test match at the rescheduled venue will only be the third, as it has hosted two Tests, one in October 2016 against New Zealand, and the most recent one being against Bangladesh back in November 2019. Furthermore, the last international game in Indore took place in the recently concluded ODI series between India and New Zealand.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store