BCCI shifts Dharamsala Test to Indore, re-laid outfield still not match-ready

The third Test between India and Australia scheduled to be played from March 15 has been shifted from Dharamsala to Indore owing to poor outfield conditions BCCI said on MondayThat the Test will be shifted was confirmed on Sunday itself after BCCI curator Taposh Chatterjees report deemed the relaid outfield as unfit for an international matchThe third Test of the Mastercard Australia tour of India for the BorderGavaskar Trophy originally scheduled to take place at the HPCA Stadium Dharamsala from 1st to 5th March has now been moved to Holkar Stadium Indore BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statementOwing to harsh winter conditions in the region the outfield lacks sufficient grass density and will need some time to develop fully Shah further statedThe inclement weather added to the woes of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association HPCA as the local ground staff didnt get enough time to grow good layer of grass on the patches of bald outfieldHowever it must be mentioned that apart from the latest inspection the BCCI pitches and grounds committee team had also inspected the ground once before and that time it was not even close to being readyAlso Read BorderGavaskar Trophy Battle for WTC final spot heats up as marauding India takes on resilient AussiesQuestions are being raised at BCCIs scheduling team and why wasnt a proper homework being done and weather conditions factored in before allotting the match to Dharamsala when no cricket has been played at the venue for the past one seasonIn fact the last two international games one T20I and other ODI against South Africa were washed out after one spell of rain and the ground couldnt be prepared for a curtailed gameHimachal Pradesh Ranji team played their home games at Nadaun as the pitch and outfield were being relayedThe norm of having an international match at any venue needs to follow specific parameters and one is to have at least one competitive game a few weeks before an ODI T20I or TestLike Holkar Stadium in Indore where the the third Test will be held it has already conducted a number of first class and age group games this season with the last one being Ranji Trophy semifinal between Mandhya Pradesh and Bengal that ended on February 12Logistical nightmare for fansThe shift at the last moment is going to hurt one of the biggest stakeholders of Indian cricket whose priority has been last and certainly the least It is the supporters most of whom are from outstation and were planning a cricket vacationDharamsala is the most picturesque cricket destination in India as the stadium is situated on the lap of Dhauladhar range making for a magnificent viewing with Pagoda like stadium rooftop at both ends of the galleryWhenever India play in Dharamsala people drive down from Delhi Chandigarh and Shimla to watch the matchIn fact a lot of Australian fans were also supposed to fly down for Cricket Vacation where they would be enjoying the Test match and also take a tour of McLeod GanjThe hotels were all booked and the shift will be a huge hit to the hotel business which sees a boom during any international cricket eventThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever