India-Australia Test series to start on Feb 23

Pune, Ranchi and Dharamsala will be hosting Test matches for the first time as the BCCI on Friday announced venues for India’s four-match series against Australia beginning February 23.

The teams will open their campaign in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with the first Test in Pune from February 23 to 27. The series will then move to Bengaluru, which will host the second game from March 4-8.

The last two matches will be played in the two new Test centres — Ranchi and Dharamsala — from March 16-20 and March 25-29 respectively.Australia were whitewashed 4-0 by India in their last tour of the country.

The three centres which had hosted One-day Internationals and T20 Internationals in the past — were accorded Test status last November.All these three centres, incidentally, are the home turfs of BCCI president Anurag Thakur, secretary Ajay Shirke and joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhary respectively.

The allocation of matches to new centres is aimed at restoring the rotation policy for Tests.

India are scheduled to play 13 Tests, 8 ODIs and three T20Is in the current home season.