Eden Gardens likely to host Afghanistan for first Test

What's the story?

Just a day after confirmation arrived of Afghanistan playing their maiden Test match against India soon, it has been learned that the newest Test cricket nation will probably be playing the match in Kolkata in February or March 2018, as reported by Mid-Day.com.

The BCCI and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) are nearing the end of an agreement to play the historic fixture at Eden Gardens.

In case you didn't know..

Afghanistan and Ireland were given Test status by the ICC only in June this year. In fact, Ireland are also supposed to play their own first Test against Pakistan at home in May, 2018. Interestingly, Afghanistan have been playing all their "home" matches at India's Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida due to security concerns in their own country.

The heart of the matter

The reason why the BCCI chose not to opt for the ground in Greater Noida is allegedly because of the conducting of a private league there earlier this year which drew the needless attention of the anti-corruption unit.

Hence, the BCCI has banned the venue temporarily, and is keen to host Afghanistan on another ground.

What's next?

India are scheduled to tour South Africa from early January until late February, while an England tour is also lined up for early July. And with the IPL in between, the ideal time for squeezing in a single Test match was probably February-March.

Author's Take

With Afghanistan set to become the fourth nation to play their maiden Test match against India - Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh were the others - a grand stadium like the Eden Gardens might turn out to be the ideal venue for this memorable encounter.