The BCCI have confirmed that the teams will head to the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore for the third match starting on March 1 following the second Test in Delhi starting on February 17. The board had narrowed the choice of the third Test venue to Indore and Rajkot after ruling out Dharamsala following an unfavorable report from the board’s inspection panel.
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“Owing to harsh winter conditions in the region, the outfield lacks sufficient grass density and will need some time to develop fully,” a BCCI statement said.
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.
The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore has previously hosted two Tests against New Zealand and Bangladesh in 2016 and 2019 with India winning both by huge margins.
R Ashwin has taken 18 wickets in two Tests in Indore including match figures of 13 for 140 against New Zealand. Virat Kohli also made 211 in that match.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo