Nagpur to host third New Zealand Test

The third Test of New Zealand's tour of India will be played in Nagpur in November after the original hosts, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), backed out citing the renovation work going at the Wankhede Stadium. The BCCI has also announced the venues for the five-ODI bilateral series that follows the Tests.

The Wankhede Stadium is undergoing a facelift ahead of the World Cup next year, and the MCA had said it didn't want to rush things and host a Test without a proper trial run.

Since the renovation work began, the nearby Brabourne Stadium has been hosting matches, including first-class games. It staged a Test between India and Sri Lanka last December and the home matches of Mumbai Indians during the third season of the IPL.

The one-day leg of the series will be held in Guwahati, Mohali, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. There is no change in the scheduling and venues of the first two Tests: Ahmedabad hosts the first between November 4th and 8th with Kanpur staging the next between November 12th and 16th.

The New Zealand series takes place soon after India host Australia for two Tests and three ODIs. The Indian board has advanced the start of both Tests against Ricky Ponting's side by a day (first Test at Mohali begins on October 1 and the next at Bangalore on the 9th), and the first two ODIs by two days.