Australia tour of India: Visakhapatnam to host first T20I

Australia will start their limited overs tour of India in Visakhapatnam, which will now host the first T20 International on February 24 instead of Bengaluru after Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) requested for a change of date due to security concerns.

Bengaluru will host the second T20 International on February 27 instead of Visakhapatnam after KSCA wrote to the BCCI about its inability to host the inaugural match.  The date and venue swap was okayed by Committee of Administrators (COA) members Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji.

The Aero India Show will be held in Bengaluru on February 24, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the event, and hence the police informed  KSCA about their inability to provide security.

KSCA wrote to BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, who sent it to the COA for approval.

"It was a genuine reason for which KSCA can't hold the match on the specified date (February 24). The acting secretary had forwarded me the request for swapping of dates with the Visakhapatnam T20I and I have sent my approval," COA chief Rai told PTI.

Australia will be playing two T20 Internationals and 5 ODIs during their three week tour. The five ODIs will be held in Hyderabad (March 2), Nagpur (March 5), Ranchi (March 8), Mohali (March 10) and New Delhi (March 13).