India-Aus three-match Test series to start Feb 23

New Delhi, October 21

India’s eagerly-anticipated home Test series against arch-foes Australia will start on February 23 in Pune, just a day after the visiting country’s Twenty20 side winds up a home assignment against Sri Lanka.

Pune, Ranchi and Dharamsala will be hosting Test matches for the first time during the four-match Test series, which is a part of India’s busy home schedule this season.

The teams will open their campaign in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with the first Test in Pune from February 23 to 27. The series will then move to Bengaluru, which will host the second game from March 4-8.

The last two matches will be played in the two new Test centres—Ranchi and Dharamsala—from March 16-20 and March 25-29 respectively.

The Australians have been known to have different outfits for different formats and tend to preserve Test players ahead of major series. A recent example of this was when the Aussies rested their key players during a three-match Twenty20 series at home against India in January.

Australia’s three-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka is scheduled from February 17 to 22.

Australia were whitewashed 4-0 by India in their last tour of the country.

The three centres which had hosted One-day Internationals and T20 Internationals in the past — were accorded Test status last November.

All these three centres, incidentally, are the home turfs of BCCI president Anurag Thakur, secretary Ajay Shirke and joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhary respectively.

The allocation of matches to new centres is aimed at restoring the rotation policy for Tests.

India are scheduled to play 13 Tests, 8 ODIs and three T20Is in the current home season. — PTI