The Guwahati Test match between India and South Africa will mark a special occasion for Indian cricket, as it will be the first Test match hosted in the city, as the Barsapara Stadium becomes the 30th venue in the country to host a red-ball international match in history.
However, the game will be one that sees norms broken as action will begin at 9:00 AM IST. Action could start as soon as 8:30 AM IST if play stops earlier than usual and an extra over needs to be bowled frm Day 2. Usually, in Test matches on Indian soil, action across the country begins at 9:30 AM IST, while on days when extra overs need to be played due to weather interruption on the previous days, it starts at 8:30 AM IST
Tea Before Lunch
Moreover, the game will see an unprecedented move for Test across the globe in its 148-year-old history, as tea will be taken before lunch. This means that the first session will end at 11:00 AM IST, and it will be the tea break of 40 minutes. The second session will start at 11:20 PM IST and end at 1:20 PM IST. This will be the forty-minute lunch break. The final session will start at 2:00 PM IST and end at 4:00 PM IST. Thirty minutes can be added, which means play can go on till 4:30 PM IST.
While in a few pink-ball Test matches (day-night Test matches), the tea break has been taken after the end of the first session, with the dinner break following it; this order in a normal red-ball Test match (day Test match) is unheard of.
Why The Change In Order Of Session Breaks?
The reason behind the change in order is due to the early sunrise and sunset times in Guwahati, which is situated in the state of Assam, which is situated in the Northeast region of India. Over this week, the sunset time in the city has been around 4:30 PM IST. Hence, it will not be a surprise that several overs are lost during the game, with bad light forcing an early end to play.