Third India-Australia Test to be moved out of Dharamsala

The third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia will not be played in Dharamsala because the venue is not ready to host the match.

The BCCI is yet to finalise the new venue but Indore and Rajkot are reportedly the frontrunners. A final decision is expected to be taken soon.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCCI took the decision to move the fixture out of the venue in the Himalayas after an unfavourable report from the board's inspection panel.

As reported previously, the panel visited the ground on February 11 and noted several bare patches on the outfield, which was re-laid recently by the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association to install a new drainage system. Another deterrent was the fact that no cricket had been hosted in Dharamsala since the two T20Is between India and Sri Lanka last February.

Dharamsala was incidentally the venue where India clinched the 2016-17 series against Australia by winning the fourth Test by eight wickets.

India are up 1-0 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, after beating Australia by an innings and 132 runs inside three days in Nagpur. The second Test is in Delhi from February 17 to 21, and the third is scheduled between March 1 and 5 at a yet to be confirmed venue.