Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Delhi likely to host Test match after 5 years; Dharamshala, Ahmedabad also in fray

When Pat Cummins' Australia visits India for the high-profile Border-Gavaskar four-match series in February-March next year, Delhi will host a Test match for the first time in more than five years. Other likely locations for the remaining Tests are Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, and one among Nagpur or Chennai.

The series will be crucial because it will be India's final four games in the second World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. In fact, India may have to defeat Australia 4-0 in order to qualify for the summit showdown, which could be a Herculean job for Rohit Sharma's team.

The series is usually played across four Tests, but will be played over five matches during the next ICC Future Tours & Programme (FTP), which begins in 2024. According to the BCCI's rotation methodology, Delhi, which missed out during the two-year COVID-19 epidemic, is set to receive one of the Test matches. In December 2017, the city hosted a Test against Sri Lanka.

"Delhi is likely to host the second of the four Test matches as of now. The dates will be out as and when the Tours and Fixtures committee hold its meeting. Dharamsala, which hosted its first and only Test almost six years back, against Australia in March, 2017, will probably host the third Test," a senior BCCI official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

The BCCI has hosted three pink-ball Tests so far, the first against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, the second against England at Motera, and the third against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru.

The BCCI has hosted eight Test matches since the COVID-19 break, including four against England in 2021 (Chennai and Ahmedabad), two against New Zealand (Kanpur and Mumbai), and two against Sri Lanka (Chandigarh and Bengaluru).

(With inputs from PTI)

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