Delhi, Kolkata swap Test matches as BCCI announces changes to India's home cricket season
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced multiple changes to the home international schedule, including for South Africa and West Indies' tours set to take place in October, November and December. While no official reason has been given for the changes, the announcement comes after concerns were raised about pollution levels in Delhi in November, when South Africa were scheduled to play a Test match there.
Delhi will now play host to the second Test against the West Indies that is scheduled to start on October 14 while South Africa's first Test will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata from November 14 to 18. Kolkata was initially scheduled to host the second West Indies Test.
According to PTI, BCCI's Cricket Operations team collated the AQI data over the past few years and decided that venue swap is a viable option.
While venues have been changed, the dates for the season remain the same. India's home season starts with two Tests against West Indies, starting October 2 in Ahmedabad, followed by the Delhi Test. They then play a full three format series against South Africa starting with two Tests, followed by three ODIs and five T20 Internationals across various Indian venues. While Kolkata hosts the opening Test, Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium will host a red ball international for the first time with the second match scheduled to be played there from November 22 to 26.
The ODIs will be held at Ranchi (November 30), Raipur (December 3) and Visakhapatnam (December 6). The five T20Is will be held at Cuttack (December 9), New Chandigarh (December 11), Dharamsala (December 14), Lucknow (December 17) and Ahmedabad (December 19).
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) had earlier expressed ts inability to host the women's ODI series against Australia starting September 14 at the Chepauk Stadium. The first two matches of will now be played in Mullanpur (New Chandigarh) and the third match in New Delhi. The series serves as a pre-cursor to the 50-over World Cup which will be hosted by India starting September 30.
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