BCCI shifts venues of 4th and 5th ODIs of Ind-Eng series

New Delhi: The BCCI on Thursday switched the venues for the fourth and fifth ODIs of the five-match series between India and England to be held in January next year.

As per the new schedule announced by the BCCI, Mohali`s Punjab Cricket Association stadium would host the fourth ODI of the series on January 23 in place of Dharamshala. Dharamshala will make its debut as an international cricket venue three days later when it plays host to the fifth and final ODI of the series on January 27, which was earlier scheduled to be played in Mohali, a statement from the BCCI said. The statement further said that the Dharamshala ODI will be a day game and not a day-night affair as was scheduled earlier, while the Mohali match would begin at 12:00 noon instead of 2:30 pm. "These revisions have been made taking into account the cold evening temperatures that will prevail in Mohali and Dharamshala in late January," BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in the statement. "Since 27 January also happens to be a Sunday, a day game in Dharamshala will give cricket-lovers the best chance to savour the encounter," he added. England will reach India later this month for a full tour of five Tests, two Twenty20 Internationals and five ODIs. The inaugural Test will be played in Ahmedabad from November 15-19 with the subsequent Tests scheduled in Mumbai (Nov 23-27), Kolkata (Dec 5-9) and Nagpur (Dec 13-17). England would play two T20 Internationals against India on December 20 (Pune) and December 22 (Mumbai) prior to departing home for the Christmas and New Year break. They will return to India to play the five-match ODI series in January next year. The five-match ODI series will start on January 11 in Rajkot followed by matches in Kochi (January 15), Ranchi (Jaunary 19), Mohali and Dharamshala. PTI