The Team India management has reportedly requested the BCCI for a venue change for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2027 five-Test series against Australia. The management wants the fourth Test of the series to be moved out of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi.
As per the Dainik Jagran report, Team India officials have concerns about poor lighting, especially in the evenings, as the sun sets early given Ranchi is in the eastern part of India.
This concern stems from when India hosted South Africa for a Test series in 2025 and faced issues, given that the two-Test series was held in Kolkata and Guwahati, and stumps had to be called earlier than intended as the quality of light dipped in the late afternoon.
Though the Guwahati Test began ahead of the traditional start time in the morning, the teams found themselves unable to play 90 overs in a day. There have been complaints from the team management about the early sunset during winters after their recent home series that ended 0-2 against the opposition.
If the test is moved out of Ranchi, other grounds like Vizag, Hyderabad, and Rajkot can serve as potential alternatives.
"The team management has raised this issue with the BCCI that due to the early sunset in Ranchi during January-February, the evening arrives prematurely. In such a situation, there could be a reduction in playing time during the Test match due to lack of lighting, and it might be difficult to complete the mandatory 90 overs per day,” the Dainik Jagran report stated.
However, though the sun sets early in Guwahati as well, which is located further east than Ranchi, there are no plans to move the 3rd Test out of Barsapara Cricket Stadium. It is expected that the timings will be slightly tweaked to get the most out of daylight.
"A minor change in the start time of the Test in Guwahati is also possible. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia is from Assam, and the program to host the Test in Guwahati is likely to remain intact for now," the report adds.
The upcoming series of five Tests will be the last assignment of India for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. The result of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is anticipated to have a significant impact on the final ranking of the Shubman Gill-led team.
As per the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 played in India, the matches will be staged at Nagpur and Ahmedabad. Moreover, the famous MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, which did not stage any Australian Test match in the previous two series (2017 and 2023), will stage the second match of the 2027 series.
Australia are the current holders of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a 3-1 series win at home in 2024-25. However, they have not won a Test series on Indian soil since 2004.
(Dainik Jagran report)
