Pune to host first India-Australia test in February

Cricket - India v New Zealand - Third Test cricket match - Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore - 11/10/2016. India's players celebrate after the wicket of New Zealand's Kane Williamson. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/Files

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The city of Pune will stage its first test when the home side plays Australia in the opener of the four-match series starting February.

The Pune test starts February 23 before Australia travel to Bengaluru for the second match from March 4.

Two more venues -- Ranchi and Dharamshala -- will also host their first tests with the third and fourth matches of the Border-Gavaskar series.

Schedule:

1st test - Feb. 23-27 - Pune

2nd test - March 04-08 - Bengaluru

3rd test - March 16-20 - Ranchi

4th test - March 25-29 - Dharamshala

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Ian Ransom)