Border-Gavaskar Trophy: India vs Australia 3rd Test match shifted to Indore

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to move the 3rd Test match between India and Australia from Dharamsala due to pitch issues. The third match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will now be played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore between March 1 and 5. The BCCI announced its decision in the early hours of Monday, February 13, saying that the game could not be played due to poor pitch conditions.

"The third Test of the Mastercard 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," the BCCI confirmed in their press release. "Owing to harsh winter conditions in the region, the outfield lacks sufficient grass density and will need some time to develop fully," the release further read.

It was earlier reported that BCCI curator Taposh Chatterjee visited the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium to inspect the pitch and pitch and present his observations to the board. The HPCA has not hosted an international game since 2022, the Sri Lanka T20I series. The only Test match played at the venue was the 2017 Border Gavaskar Trophy, which India won by 8 wickets.

Holkar Stadium, on the other hand, hosted its last match of 2019 against Bangladesh. The venue recently hosted the Ranji Trophy semi-final between Madhya Pradesh and Bengal. The Holkar Stadium offered a sporting wicket where the fast bowlers enjoyed the presence of some grass, but as the game went on, the spinners also came into their own.

India won the first Test match of the series and will travel to New Delhi for their second match starting on February 17. The teams will then take a significant break and play the third test match on March 1.