Indore will host the third Border-Gavaskar Test, the BCCI confirmed on Monday. The Test had to be moved out of Dharamsala after the venue was deemed to be not ready for the match.
“Owing to harsh winter conditions in the region, the outfield lacks sufficient grass density and will need some time to develop fully,” the BCCI said in its statement announcing the decision.
The third Test will be held as scheduled from March 1, following the end of the second Test in Delhi, which begins on February 17.
The BCCI had narrowed the choice of the venue for the third Test to Indore and Rajkot after ruling Dharamsala out following concerns over the venue from its inspection panel.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association had relaid the turf recently to install anew drainage system. With no cricket match being hosted at the newly laid ground, it would have been risky to hosta Test. No match had been held at the venue since the two T20Is between India and SriLanka last February.
The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore has hosted two Tests, against New Zealand in 2016 and against Bangladesh in 2019, with India winning both. Ravichandran Ashwin has 18 wickets in two Tests in Indore, including a match haul of 13 for 140 against New Zealand. Virat Kohli made 211 in that game.
