Third Test of BGT moved to Indore from Dharamsala due to unfit pitch conditions; Ashwin averaged 12.50 in Indore

India thrashed Australia in the first test of the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur. Now both teams will move to the capital city of New Zealand for the second game of the series. The second test will take place in Arun Jaitley Stadium, starting on Friday, February 1.

However, amid the excitement for the second test, the BCCI has changed the venue of the third test, which was supposed to take place at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. As per the record, the pitch at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala has been deemed unfit for any form of cricket.

On Monday, the Indian Board announced that the third game will now have a different venue and will take place at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. The match will take place between March 1 and 5. The BCCI explained the statement: "Owing to harsh winter conditions in the region, the outfield lacks sufficient grass density and will need some time to develop fully."

However, it will be a big blow for the visitors, as out of the four venues for the test series, only the HPCA Stadium has something in it for the fast bowlers. Both teams met in Dharamsala in the 2017 BGT series, when the Indian bowler Umesh Yadav dominated with the new ball.

Meanwhile, India has won both of its games in Indore by a big margin. They beat New Zealand by 321 runs in 2016, while thrashing Bangladesh by an inning and 130 runs in 2019.

On the other hand, veteran off-spinner Ravi Ashwin enjoys bowling here, as he is averaging 12.50 with 18 wickets in just two games. If India can win the second test in Delhi, then they can retain the BGT trophy before playing in Indore. Thus, it will be a tough challenge for the visitors to come back from here, but being the No. 1 ranked team, Australia will surely bounce back.