The third Test between India and Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series has been shifted from Dharamshala's HPCA Stadium to Holkar Stadium in Indore, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Monday.
The third Test is slated to take place from March 1 to March 5. "Owing to harsh winter conditions in the region, the outfield lacks sufficient grass density and will need some time to develop fully," the BCCI said in a statement on Monday.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) had relaid the entire outfield, including the pitch. The issues with the relaid pitch at the HPCA Stadium have forced the game to be moved.
Dharamshala hosted its only Test in 2017. Incidentally, that game too was played between India and Australia. The Holkar Cricket Stadium has previously hosted two Tests against New Zealand and Bangladesh in 2016 and 2019 with India winning both by huge margins.
India have a formidable record at Indore's Holkar Stadium. The home side hammered Bangladesh by 321 runs in 2016 before thrashing New Zealand by innings and 130 runs in 2019.
India is leading in the present series 1-0 after an emphatic win over Australia in Nagpur. The first Test in Nagpur had ended within three days as the Australian batters failed to find a way to handle the spin duo Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin -- the duo together claimed 15 of the 20 wickets.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, the visitors managed to score 177 in the first innings. After stretching their lead to over 200 runs, India bowled out Australia for 91 91 in the second innings inside a single session to win the Test by an innings and 132 runs.
Jadeja was declared the Player of the Match for bowling figures of 7-81 and scoring 70 runs with the willow. After a huge loss in the first Test, Australia will be looking to hit back in Delhi for the second match, to be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, starting on Friday.
Australia is currently on top of the ICC World Test Championship standings and need to avoid a 4-0 whitewash to India to ensure they reach June's final at The Oval.
The schedule for the remaining three Tests is as below:
February 17-21: 2nd Test, New Delhi
March 1-5: 3rd Test, Indore
March 9-13: 4th Test, Ahmedabad.