India-South Africa Guwahati Test to have tea break before lunch

Due to early sunrise and sunset in Guwahati, the second Test between India and South Africa will see players having tea first followed by lunch. Normally, tea prior to supper is a routine followed in day-night Tests, but the BCCI took the special decision for a day Test in Guwahati due to the fast fading light in north-east India.

The Test, which starts from November 22, will be the first Test match in Guwahati, which recently hosted several matches in the women's ODI World Cup. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who is from Guwahati, confirmed the Test would start half an hour earlier than the norm for red-ball Tests in India, including the first Test in Kolkata, which will begin at 9.30am IST.

The toss in Guwahati will be at 8.30am IST, with the first session between 9 and 11am, followed by a 20-minute tea break. Lunch will be between 1.20 and 2 pm with the final session scheduled till 4 PM, with an extra half-hour if needed.

According to Saikia, having lunch at 11 after the end of first session would have been too early for players, and hence the BCCI decided to tweak the session timings.

"It is a practical decision," Saikia told ESPNcricinfo. "In winters, sunrise and sunset are very early here in north-east India. By 4pm the (day)light recedes and you can't play much after. Because of that we have decided to start early, so play will start at 9 am."

The series starts Friday at Eden Gardens, where a special gold-plated coin, with insignia of BCCI and Cricket South Africa on each side, will be used at the toss.