India and South Africa will play the second Test of the upcoming two-match series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati from November 22, and the Test match will see a unique scheduling, with tea to be taken before lunch on each day.

Usually in Test matches, toss, lunch, tea, and stumps (end of day’s play) are the usual sequence. However, with Guwahati being in the easternmost region of the country, it experiences early sunrise and sunset.

Traditionally, Test matches in India begin at 9:30 a.m. There will be a 40-minute lunch break (11:30 to 12:10 PM) before the second session resumes. Both teams get a 20-minute tea break (2:10 PM to 2:30 PM), followed by a third and final session from 2:30 to 4:30 PM. Match officials can give the team an extra half-hour to complete 90 overs per day.  

The game start time varies by country, such as in England, which begins its Test match at 11 a.m. because of the long days in the summer. However, the majority of the team adheres to the usual lunch-tea breaks during test matches.

However, for the second and final test in Guwahati between India and South Africa, the first session will be from 9 am to 11 am, followed by a tea session from 11 am to 11:20 am.

The second session will be played from 11:20 am to 1:20 pm. The lunch break will be from 1:20 PM to 2 PM, while the third session of the play will be played from 2 PM to 4 PM.

“The reason to have early tea is that Guwahati witnesses early sunset, and there is an early start too. This will be the first time we have decided to change the tea session, as time will be saved to get extra game time on the field,” a BCCI source confirmed to The Indian Express.

Cricket South Africa and the BCCI have both opted to adjust their session times. In the past, the BCCI has adjusted the session timing in Ranji Trophy games to account for the early sunset situation.