The second India–South Africa Test, set for 22 November at Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium, will run to an unusual timetable. Because daylight fades quickly in the north-east at this time of year, the teams will pause for tea after the opening session and sit down for lunch later in the afternoon.
Play is due to begin at 9 am IST, half an hour earlier than the standard 9.30 am start used for most red-ball matches in India. The toss is pencilled in for 8.30 am. Session one runs from 9 am to 11 am, followed by a 20-minute tea break. Lunch is scheduled for 1.20–2 pm, and the final session should finish by 4 pm, weather and over-rates permitting.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, a Guwahati native, said the governing body had little choice. “It is a practical decision,” Saikia told ESPNcricinfo. “In winters, sunrise and sunset are very early here in north-east India. By 4 pm the (day)light recedes and you can’t play much after. Because of that we have decided to start early, so play will start at 9 am.”
He added that asking players to eat a full lunch at 11 am “would have been too early”, hence the switch. The convention of tea before lunch is familiar in day-night Tests, yet rare in regular daytime fixtures.
Guwahati is hosting its maiden men’s Test after staging several Women’s T20 World Cup matches earlier this year. Locals are hoping the change in schedule won’t unsettle players or spectators; broadcasters are busy adjusting their running orders, too.
The series itself begins this Friday in Kolkata, where a special gold-plated coin bearing the BCCI and Cricket South Africa crests will be used at the toss—a small keepsake for what is already a slightly quirky tour.
If the Guwahati experiment works, administrators may keep the option open for other venues with similar daylight issues, though most grounds on the Indian circuit are unlikely to need such tweaks.
