Guwahati (Assam) [India], November 11 (ANI): In a rare scheduling move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to alter the session timings for the second Test between India and South Africa in Guwahati, owing to the region's early sunrise and sunset. Unlike the usual format, players will have tea before lunch, a sequence typically reserved for day-night Tests, as per ESPNcricinfo. The play will also start 30 minutes earlier than usual.

The two-match series kicks off this Friday at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, where a special gold-plated coin, featuring the insignias of the BCCI and Cricket South Africa on each side, will be used for the toss.

The second Test, starting November 22, will also mark Guwahati's debut as a Test venue, having recently hosted several matches during the Women's ODI World Cup.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who hails from Guwahati, confirmed that play will begin half an hour earlier than the standard start time for red-ball matches in India. The first Test in Kolkata will start at 9:30 am IST, and the Guwahati Test will begin at 9:00 am.

As per the schedule in Guwahati, the toss will take place at 8:30 am IST, with the opening session running from 9:00 to 11:00 am. A 20-minute tea break will follow, before play resumes for the second session from 11:20 am to 1:20 pm. Lunch will then be served between 1:20 and 2:00 pm, with the final session to wrap up by 4:00 pm.

Saikia explained that a traditional lunch break after the first session would have been too early for players, prompting the BCCI to adjust the timings accordingly.

'It is a practical decision,' Saikia said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'In winters, sunrise and sunset are very early here in north-east India. By 4pm the (day) light recedes and you can't play much after. Because of that, we have decided to start early, so play will start at 9 am,' he told ESPNcricinfo. (ANI)