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Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins (Source: Twitter)
Concerns mount over the Third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia as Dharamshala is likely to lose the hosting rights. The match is scheduled to be played from March 1 to March 5. Although, the final decision will be taken by Indian Cricket Board after inspecting the ground.
Recently, the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium went under renovation and it is yet to be fit for the match. The final decision over the issue will be taken in a few days as the central board is set to send a team of experts for the inspection. Notably, it’s been a year since the last game was played on the ground. It was twin T20Is against Sri Lanka in February 2022.
Since then, the state cricket association decided to renovate the outfield and install a brand-new drainage system. Now it is being reported that the outfield is yet to be match ready as some places on the ground are yet to get grass cover. The inspection team will decide whether the outfield is safe for the players or not. Notably, an expert team of the Indian Cricket Board inspected the venue on February 3, but the decision will be taken after a final inspection.
Indian Cricket Board shortlisted some backup venues for the match
Irrespective of the decision over the match, Indian Cricket Board has already shortlisted some venues where the third Test can be shifted. According to reports, the board has shortlisted Pune, Visakhapatnam, Indore, and Rajkot as the backup venue for the match.
The second and fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is scheduled to take place in Delhi and Ahmedabad, respectively. The second Test will start on February 17 in Arun Jaitley Stadium, while the fourth match will start on March 9 in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
However, the first match is currently going on in Vidarbha Cricket Stadium in Nagpur, where team India is in a commanding position. Hosts bundled visitors for 177 in the first innings and took the lead of 223 runs. India captain, Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant century while allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel scored fifties.