India vs West Indies ODI and T20 International matches will be played in Ahmedabad and Kolkata as BCCI reduces venues due to COVID-19

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced changes in the venue of West Indies’ tour of India keeping in mind the evolving COVID-19 situation in the country. West Indies are scheduled to play 3 ODIs and as many T20Is from 6 to 20 February, but the number of venues has been reduced from 6 to 2.

3 ODIs will now be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad while 3 T20Is will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Initially, the BCCI selected Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Cuttack, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram as Venus for the ODI and T20I series.

“Three ODIs will now be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad and three T20Is will be held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The decision to limit the series to two venues instead of six has been taken to minimize biosecurity risks. By cutting down on travel and movement of teams, match officials, broadcasters and other stakeholders,” the BCCI said in a release on Saturday.

India is currently playing a 3-match ODI series in South Africa. The last ODI will be played in Cape Town on Sunday. The visiting team has already given South Africa an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series after losing the Test series.

Rohit Sharma, who has been ruled out of the South Africa tour due to a hamstring injury, is all set to make a comeback for the limited overs series against West Indies.

Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Saturday said that the IPL 2022 auction will be held on February 12 and 13 while the new season will begin in the last week of March. India will play Test and T20 series against the Sri Lankan team before the start of IPL 2022, which is likely to be held in India.