Two days ago, the Board of Control for Cricket in India sent a circular to its state units confirming Mohali as the venue for the second Test (October 16 to 20) against New Zealand, with Kanpur having the honour of staging the opening Test, from October 8 to 12.
But if you thought the issue of a settled itinerary of the New Zealand team's tour of India was finally behind us, you couldn't be more wrong.
The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association has lately developed cold feet because of the prevailing conditions at the Test venue, Green Park, and doesn't want to risk its reputation or a censure from the International Cricket Council.
For starters, heavy rains during the past few days have completely flattened a 40 foot-long stadium wall. So complete is the damage that even the remnants of the wall, in terms of scattered bricks and other construction material, have somehow disappeared as imaginative locals worked out ways to make good use of it.
The stands, galleries and public convenience facilities present a desolate and abandoned look, with gathering moss, not to speak of an unattended ground and pitch, which has only worsened because of an unrelenting monsoon spell, which is unlikely to let up till the end of August.
It would barely leave enough time to get things in order in a matter of month or so before Kanpur opens itself to judgment from the world cricket community and risks its reputation as a regular Test centre of India.
The problems of Green Park are compounded because of a newly prepared pitch -- it hasn't been used even once since being laid in position eight months ago. Kanpur doesn't want a repeat of a Test in 1999 -- incidentally against New Zealand only -- when the pitch drew flak because of its quality.
The irony is, the UP Cricket Association can hardly be blamed for this mess. The venue is owned by the UP government, which picks the bills for its maintenance. It reduces the UPCA more or less to a role of a caretaker.
The UPCA is also looking over their shoulders at what the ICC could do should they find the pitch and the conditions not up to the mark. The international cricket body can blacklist a cricket venue if they feel the pitch is not of acceptable standards or the venue is found wanting on other cricket-related issues.
There are previous examples of venues, like Indore and Nagpur, being disapproved by the ICC for a long period before being restored as cricket centres.
Meanwhile, the UPCA has lost little time in moving the government for restoration of the wall and other related matters, but it isn't sure if the snail-pace of the authorities will get things organized in time for the first Test.
According to reliable sources, the UPCA has also drawn the BCCI's attention, but the latter wants to be absolutely sure the Test can't go ahead at Green Park before arriving at any decision. As it is, the Board had first declared Bangalore and Mohali as the two Test venues and then announced at its working committee meeting earlier this month that Kanpur and Mohali would host the Tests.
The Board also released the details of the triangular one-day series in installments, first making public the dates and then announcing the venues a good fortnight later.
All this is hardly amusing, least of all to New Zealand Cricket who, as a spokesman said, want absolutely no confusion in terms of tour itinerary and travelling arrangements.
Should Kanpur pull out, the rotation system of the BCCI will once again throw up the name of Bangalore, which is already allotted a one-day game in the triangular series.
It could then be the turn of Nagpur to host the Test, an unexpected gift for Stephen Fleming and his men who should revel in the featherbed batting conditions and pinch themselves at the unseemly hospitality of the Indians who were at the receiving end on diabolic pitches in Kiwiland only last season.
