Guwahati, the region’s lone international cricket venue and known as the ‘Gateway to the Northeast’, hosted World Cup games for the first time earlier this year and will now stage its maiden Test (Picture credit: PTI)
The traditional red-ball contest will take place at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Barsapara, where excitement among organisers, fans, journalists, and the public was unmistakable on the eve of the match (Picture credit: ICC)
International cricket games were earlier played at the Nehru Stadium and the Assam Cricket Association shifted base to Barsapara eight years ago (Picture credit: AFP)
The match will start at 9 am, instead of the usual 9:30 am for other Indian venues, to account for the region’s early sunrise and sunset. The early start means the usual lunch and tea break timings will be reversed as well (Picture credit: BCCI)
Despite the buzz around hosting the venue’s first Test, the aura of home invincibility that defined Indian teams over the past three decades has faded, with the current side appearing far more vulnerable (Picture credit: PTI)
Volunteers rehearse for the inaugural ceremony ahead of the first Test in Guwahati (Picture credit: AP)
An even tougher test looms for head coach Gautam Gambhir, whose often perplexing calls have left the dressing room and think-tank grappling for clarity (Picture credit: AP)
