Following the conclusion of India’s tour of Australia, the team will set to task in earnest for their next home assignment, a two-Test series against South Africa. The first Test gets underway at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on November 14, with the second match beginning on November 22 at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.
This series is part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, and therefore of great significance to both teams. India are currently third on the table, with South Africa a spot below. Australia lead the standings, with three wins from three matches.
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Historic Change in Session Timings
The Guwahati Test will see the tea break being taken ahead of the lunch break for the first time in the history of Test cricket. According to a report in the Indian Express, this unusual decision has been made owing to the early sunrise and sunset in the northeastern part of India.
This is how the revised match schedule would be:
An early sunset forces a reduction of playing time in Guwahati, a BCCI official explained. Hence, this change in schedule is a way to accommodate more overs each day. “This will be the first time tea is taken before lunch to save daylight and get extra game time,” the official said.
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Tradition Gets a Twist
Normally, Test matches in India start at 9:30 AM with a lunch break for 40 minutes starting around 11:30 AM and then tea late in the afternoon. This order will be reversed in Guwahati. The move will also acclimatize the players better to the conditions in the northeast.
Incidentally, the same session pattern was followed in Ranji Trophy games held in Guwahati, wherein the early start and early tea worked very well. The upcoming Test series between India and South Africa promises exciting cricket as two top WTC contenders clash. Fans will witness not only high-quality cricket but also a historic change in how the game’s oldest format is structured for the day.
