The third Test of the ongoing 2023 Border Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia has been shifted from Dharamshala, as per reports in Indian Express. The match was scheduled to be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium from 1-5 March.
Set amid a picturesque backdrop of the Dhauladhar mountain range in Himachal Pradesh, the stadium had previously hosted a Test match between India and Australia in 2017, wherein the hosts emerged victoriously. The ground has also hosted 16 limited-overs matches, the last of which was a year ago.
Recently, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) relaid the outfield and the pitch, to install a new drainage system. Owing to this, the Himachal Pradesh team had played their Ranji Trophy matches in Nadaun’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, situated approximately 60 kilometres away from Dharamshala.
The HPCA officials were confident about getting the stadium prepared well in time for the occasion, but as per the report, a BCCI official has confirmed that a small patch near the square is yet to be readied, and hence, the board has decided to shift the game to a different venue.
Venues of the 2023 Border Gavaskar Trophy
The first Test of the four-match Test series was held in Nagpur’s Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, where Rohit Sharma’s team outplayed the Aussies in every department, securing a victory by an innings and 132 runs in the process.
The second match will commence on 17 February in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, whilst the last fixture will be played in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Following the completion of the Test series, the two teams will also cross paths in three ODI matches.
The fixtures will be played in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, Visakhapatnam’s Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, and Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on 17, 19 and 22 March respectively.
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