“This is a rare scheduling to get afternoon tea much before first drink break,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement. The unusual alteration, most commonly associated with day-night Tests, has been made due to rapidly dimming light in north-east India.
Guwahati will host its maiden Test, the second of the series starting November 22, 2025. The city recently played host to few matches of the Women’s ODI World Cup and is now ready for another historical moment. “It’s an operational issue, you have very little daylight here. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia (from Guwahati) told PTI.
The duration of the play for the Guwahati Test will be pulled back to an earlier time than usual, with toss at 8:30 AM IST and the match commencing at 9:00 AM. 11:00am A 20-minute “tea break” follows the first session. The second session will run from 11:20 AM to 1:20 PM, after which time there will be a lunch break from 1:20 PM to 2:00 PM. The final session will end at 4:00 PM; an additional half hour is available if needed.
The opening game of the two-match series will start from November 15 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata from 9:30 AM IST onward. For that game, a gold plated special coin carrying the BCCI and Cricket South Africa logos will be used for the toss.
It’s another example of an aspect of scheduling working with, rather than against, the local environment to help ensure a level playing field while preserving tradition. One place where fans have a series on hand outside India, and are now braced for the historic – their city’s first-ever red-ball Test, played under a distinct session format which has been implemented keeping in mind local preferences.