IND vs AUS: Third Test Of Border-Gavaskar Trophy Shifted From Dharamshala- Report

IND vs AUS: The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) was hopeful of having the pitch ready for the Test match but a BCCI official has confirmed that the third Test will not be played there.

The Indian cricket team poses with the Border-Gavaskar trophy after winning the series against Australia on the 4th day of the fourth test match at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on March 28, 2017.

Source : Getty

Amid speculation over the possibility of the third Test match between India and Australia being shifted from Dharamshala, a media report has now confirmed the same. A top Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official has told the Indian Express that the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy will not be hosted by arguably the most picturesque international cricket venue in the country,

Even though the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) was hopeful of having the pitch and the outfield ready for the Test match, seems like it will need more time for the same. The third Test match of the series is scheduled to be played from March 1-5.

Himachal Pradesh's home matches of Ranji season were also shifted to a different venue

For the unversed, the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala recently underwent renovation and is not fit to host international cricket as of now.  Himachal Pradesh's home matches of the ongoing Ranji season were also not staged in Dharamshala owing to the same reason and were played at Nadaun. Even if the pitch gets ready in time, the outfield of the venue contains bald patches with no grass cover. However, an official confirmation from the BCCI is yet to be made in this regard.

Pune, Visakhapatnam, Indore or Rajkot could be one of the four venues where the match could be shifted.

Meanwhile, India are 1-0 up in the series after having beaten Australia by a comprehensive margin of an innings and 132 runs in the series opener at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. The second Test, starting on Februrary 17, is slated to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The BCCI is yet to announce the squad for the third and the fourth Tests and even the ticket sales haven't begun which makes it easier to shift the Dharamshala Test to a different venue.