Calcutta: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday chose Chennai as the venue for the second Test, promptly responding to England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) request to shift the match from terror-hit Mumbai.

England will return home from Bangalore after abandoning the Guwahati and New Delhi one-dayers in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes.

The change in the venue for the second Test was communicated to the media via a release.

“India’s Test series against England will be played as per schedule. Chennai will host the second Test from December 19 to 23, instead of Mumbai,” BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan said.

“The first Test will be played in Ahmedabad from December 11 to 15 as originally scheduled. Baroda will host the three-day game between the visitors and the Board President’s XI from December 5 to 7 as scheduled,” the release added.

Strangely, Chennai will be hosting its second Test within eight months when Calcutta has not hosted a Test for almost a year.

In fact, even Bangalore has hosted two Tests in the past year and Ahmedabad ( which became a test centre not more than 25 years ago) will be hosting its second Test in seven months.

The BCCI is supposed to be following a rotation policy in allotting Test matches to the different venues, but this discrimination makes no sense at all.

CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya said he didn’t want to comment till he had gone through the rotation roster.

He also couldn’t confirm whether the previous regime, headed by Prasun Mukherjee, had declined to host a Test after the Indian Premier League on the grounds that the Eden would be renovated.

However, it would also have been prudent for the BCCI to have sought the CAB’s views in the circumstances, especially since there has been a change of guard at its helm.

ROTATION?

The following centres have hosted Test matches from the 2007-08 season:

Vs Pakistan

• First Test in Delhi, Nov. ’07
• Second Test in Calcutta, Nov.-Dec. ’07
• Third Test in Bangalore, Dec. ’07

Vs South Africa

• First Test in Chennai, March ’08
• Second Test in Ahmedabad, April ’08
• Third Test in Kanpur, April ’08

Vs Australia

• First Test in Bangalore, Oct. ’08
• Second Test in Mohali, Oct. ’08
• Third Test in Delhi, Oct.-Nov. ’08
• Fourth Test in Nagpur, Nov. ’08

Vs England

• First Test in Ahmedabad, Dec. ’08
• Second Test in Chennai, Dec. ’08