India snub traditional venues for Border-Gavaskar Trophy

NEW DELHI: India will host Australia in a marquee five-match series early next year but several of the country’s traditional test venues have not been selected to stage one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries in this format of the game.

Nagpur will host the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from January 21, followed by tests in Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi and Ahmedabad, the Indian cricket board said on Thursday.

Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru were not allotted matches despite being established test centres that have historically drawn strong crowds.

Guwahati will be hosting its second test at the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium in Barsapara. The eastern Indian city staged its first test in November 2025, when India played South Africa.

Ahmedabad, home to the world’s largest cricket venue by capacity, has increasingly become India’s go-to venue for marquee matches, including the finals of the ODI (2023) and T20 (2026) World Cups.

Australia hold the Border-Gavaskar Trophy following their 3-1 victory at home early last year.

India’s home season will begin with eight limited-overs matches against West Indies in September-October, followed by three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka.

Zimbabwe will play three ODIs in India in January.