Visakhapatnam is all set for Test debut

Mumbai: Six new Test centres, including Dharamsala and Ranchi, will host five-day matches for the first time during a packed home season for the Indian cricket team beginning with the New Zealand series in October-November. A busy international schedule awaits the Indian team in the coming home season with 13 Test matches, eight ODIs and three T20 internationals pencilled in by the BCCI.

Rajkot, Vizag, Pune, Dharamsala, Ranchi and Indore, upgraded as Test centres in November last year, will host five-day matches for the first time, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke said in a statement. The new centres would also host Tests this season against the visiting New Zealand, England, Australia and Bangladesh, the BCCI announced after the meeting of its Tour Programmes and Fixtures Committee here on Thursday.

The domestic cricket season will kick off in September with the Duleep Trophy, which was not held in 2015-16 season. The tournament is set to be played under lights with pink ball for the first time. This is being done to help Indian cricketers, all of whom are expected to take part, become familiar with playing under lights with the pink coloured ball, ahead of playing Test cricket in these conditions at home during the packed season. During the season, 918 matches are to be organised by the Board, including Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, Irani Trophy, women’s cricket and all other age group cricket. Chhattisgarh has been added to the Ranji Trophy schedule for the first time. “This translates into 1,882 playing days between September 2016 to March 2017,” Shirke said.

“I welcome the new Test venues hosting this prestigious format of cricket and their arrival will take Test match cricket, to every corner of the country,” said BCCI President Anurag Thakur. Shirke noted that the advance announcement will give the staging centres enough time to prepare for the task.