Reports | BCCI swap venues for second and third Test of South Africa tour of India

South Africa will mark their first international series since the debacle of the World Cup with a tour to India. The series which begins on September 15 will see the Proteas face the Men in Blue in three T20Is and three Test matches. 

The second Test was initially scheduled to take place in Ranchi. However, with the Durga Puja festival clashing with the dates of the match, the Jharkhand State Association had requested the Board to swap the matches, with Pune – initial venue for the third Test.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) accepted the JSCA’s request. And so, Pune will now host the second Test, while Ranchi will be allotted the third fixture.

“Durga Puja is a big festival in this part of the country, so we had written to the Board requesting them to shift the Test. We are glad that the CoA granted us the third Test,” a JSCA official told Sportstar.

The three-match series will kick-off the ICC World Test Championship for South Africa. For the hosts, it will be their second series included in the Championship along with the on-going tour of West Indies.