India's Test Matches Venue Changes: New Delhi and Kolkata Adjustments

Venue Changes for Upcoming Test Matches

New Delhi, June 9: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Monday that the second Test match of the two-match series against the West Indies, originally set for October 10-14 at Eden Gardens, will now take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Additionally, the first Test match against South Africa, scheduled for November 14-18, has been moved from New Delhi to Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The BCCI confirmed that the rest of the men's international cricket schedule remains intact.

Concerns regarding the safety and well-being of players were raised when New Delhi was designated to host the first Test against South Africa, particularly due to the anticipated smog and pollution in the region three weeks post-Diwali.

In December 2017, poor air quality in Delhi prompted some Sri Lankan players to wear masks during a Test match against India. Similar pollution issues were noted before the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka match during the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, leading to the cancellation of training sessions by both teams.

In other news, New Delhi will host the third ODI of the India-Australia women's series after the BCCI decided to relocate the matches from Chennai due to ongoing renovations at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

The first two ODIs will be played at the New PCA stadium in New Chandigarh, marking the venue's debut in hosting women's international cricket. New Delhi will return to hosting women's ODIs after last doing so in 1985 and 1995.

Furthermore, the three one-day matches between India ‘A’ and South Africa ‘A’, initially set for M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from November 13-19, will now occur at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. The two multi-day matches will still take place at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, as per the original schedule.