As well as a change of the initially scheduled venue to avoid the serious air pollution problem in New Delhi, the series will feature a change of sessions times to account for natural light.
The second Test will be played from November 22 at Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium, which hosted multiple games in the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup but will become a men's Test venue for the first time.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India changed session timings for the second Test, starting a half-hour earlier than usual at 9am local time and taking the tea break at 11am and the lunch break at 1.20pm, with stumps scheduled for 4pm.
The move is to make ample use of daylight in northeastern India, where the sun sets earlier than most of India's other Test match venues. The series-opener at Kolkata, starting Friday, will have the regular session timing.
The venues are likely to encourage a tactical change, too. Pace bowlers will come into focus a lot more, breaking the recent trend of spin-friendly dust bowls that have been used for India's home Tests.
"I think it will be good wickets that will deteriorate as the game goes on – more of your traditional test wickets from what we see," South Africa's left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj said.
Reflecting on India's series win last month over West Indies, he said the wickets were good into Day 4 or 5.
"I do believe that the sort of narrative is changing. India is a wonderful team and they have come a long way with the transition," Maharaj added.
"I think they want to go with good cricket wickets, judging from the previous series."
India beat West Indies 2-0 in that series, with left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav the leading bowler with 12 wickets. But it wasn't all about spin – pace bowler Mohammed Siraj also picked up 10 scalps.
Meanwhile, South Africa drew a two-Test series in Pakistan 1-1, with Proteas spinners picking up 33 of the 40 wickets available, and offspinner Simon Harmer taking 13.
Maharaj played only the second Test and took nine wickets in the Proteas' win.
India remain wary of this spin threat after New Zealand won 3-0 here a year ago. That home defeat – a first since 2012 – ushered India's transition. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin retired from cricket's longest format.
The new, young regime – under Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir – with a firm eye on the 2027 World Test Championship, did well enough to hold England to a draw away.
Temba Bavuma, who led South Africa to their maiden ICC win in June against former champions Australia, is back at the helm and aiming for a first Test series win in India in 25 years.
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