The third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series was moved to the Holkar Stadium in Indore with the venue in Dharamsala deemed unsuitable to host the occasion.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association ground was stripped for the match due to the poor condition of the pitch, with several bare spots recently re-layed.
“Due to the harsh winter conditions in the region, the outfield lacks sufficient grass density and will need some time to fully develop,” the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.
In an already batted series, it’s another for Australia as it was the most suitable spot for fast bowling.
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The Fourth Test of Australia’s 2017 visit was played in Dharamsala, and pace proved to have more impact with Indian pace Umesh Yadav dominating with the new ball in the second half.
Smith later described it in his autobiography the journey that the pitch was “the best ever”, providing some tempo and bounce.
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The news came hours after Australia suffered another blow on the tour with Nagpur relegating wickets immediately after the first Test despite requests for the pitch to be made available for the visitors’ training.
India played two Test matches at Holkar Stadium, defeating New Zealand by 321 runs in 2016 and Bangladesh by an innings of 130 runs in 2019.
Veteran outsider Ravichandran Ashwin took 18 wickets at 12.50 in Indore.
India can retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy before the teams play the Third Test having won the first match in Nagpur by an innings.
