A major change in the Border-Gavaskar series' schedule has been announced as the third Test between India and Australia, which is slated to be played between March 1 to March 5, has been moved from Dharamsala.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) had relaid the entire outfield, including the pitch. However, the pitch is untested which is not a major concern, The Indian Express reported. Dharamshala stadium is under renovation following heavy damages due to rain and it is highly unlikely that the ground will be ready to host the third Test with just little over two weeks left in the match. It might take at least a month for the ground to be of international standard.
Meanwhile, Mohali, Bengaluru and Vizag are among the frontrunners to host the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series.
So far only one Test between India and Australia has been hosted at the HPCA stadium which was back in 2017. Although it has hosted T20s and ODIs regularly. The HPCA Stadium is nestled in Dhauladhar mountain range in the Middle Himalayas, is a highly scenic venue in the sport. It last hosted first-class cricket just before the COVID-19 pandemic descended in early 2020.
Meanwhile, after pocketing the first Test convincingly, India will next face Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from February 17 to February 21.
Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023 schedule:
2nd Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi - February 17-21
3rd Test at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, March 1-5 (Venue yet to be decided)
4th Test at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad - March 9-13
India’s squad for the first two Tests vs Australia: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.
Australia Test squad for India tour: Pat Cummins (capt), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.
