India snub traditional venues for Border-Gavaskar Trophy

2026-03-26 - 19:41

India will host Australia in a marquee five-match series early next ​year but several of the country’s traditional ‌test venues have not been selected to stage one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries in this format of the ​game. Nagpur will host the first match of ​the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from January 21, followed by ⁠tests in Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi and Ahmedabad, ​the Indian cricket board said on Thursday. Kolkata, Mumbai and ​Bengaluru were not allotted matches despite being established test centres that have historically drawn strong crowds. Guwahati will be hosting ​its second test at the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) ​Stadium in Barsapara. The eastern Indian city staged its first ‌test ⁠in November 2025, when India played South Africa. Ahmedabad, home to the world’s largest cricket venue by capacity, has increasingly become India’s go-to venue for ​marquee matches, including ​the finals ⁠of the ODI (2023) and T20 (2026) World Cups. Australia hold the Border-Gavaskar Trophy following ​their 3-1 victory at home early last year. India’s ​home ⁠season will begin with eight limited-overs matches against West Indies in September-October, followed by three ODIs ⁠and as ​many T20 Internationals against Sri ​Lanka. Zimbabwe will play three ODIs in India in January.