Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajeev Shukla defended the Kanpur Test venue, questioning the criticism around two days of the second Test between India and Bangladesh got washed out due to a wet outfield. The seasoned cricket administrator also downplayed the idea of having designated Test centres in India.
Rajeev Shukla said the facilities at Green Park stadium are set to undergo an upgrade even as questions were raised about the outdated drainage facilities at one of the oldest Test venues in the country.
Only 35 overs of play was possible over the first three days. While a part of the second and the last session was washed out due to rain on Friday, Day 2 and 3 were washed out without a ball bowled. The criticism stemmed from the fact that the Green Park venue was not able to facilitate play despite no rain for most of the daytime on Saturday and Sunday. Poor drainage facilities meant the outfield remained damp and soggy. The sun playing hide and seek in Kanpur did not help the ground staff, who worked hard to get the conditions ready.
“Well, criticism is one thing which we are used to being in the administration of BCCI in cricket. But everything is being criticised. When we were not giving matches to Kanpur then also I was being criticised. Now we are giving the match and I am being criticised… why it has been given to Kanpur,” Rajeev Shukla said.
Rajeev Shukla said there was more rain than expected over the last week in Kanpur and it unfair to point fingers only at the infrastructure at Green Park for the loss of two days.
“This ground is around 80 years old. It is our heritage ground. If you remember, it used to be a permanent Test centre. So the whole idea was to have Test matches here.
“This is for the first time in 80 years that it has rained so much that we were not able to host the match for two days. But the history suggests that no match has been abandoned here. There are many venues in the world where because of rain, matches were abandoned.
“I don’t think there should be a hue and cry because when this ground was being built, stadium was being built, then those technologies were not available. Now technologies are available.
“Like in our Lucknow stadium, we have got that technology. And in Varanasi, we are building another stadium. There we have got high-tech, modern technology to take away the water. Here also we are planning.”
WHY NO DESIGNATED TEST CENTRES?
The Kanpur fiasco added fuel to the call for designated Test venues. England and Australia have five to six fixed venues that host Test cricket during their home season.
However, India has a rotation policy through which the BCCI allocates Test matches to different venues, spread across metro cities and Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities.
In 2019, Virat Kohli called for designated Test centres in India. Earlier this year, R Ashwin spoke about the difference in home advantage for India and teams like England and Australia because of their lack of familiarity with certain venues at home.
However, Rajeev Shukla explained why the BCCI adopted a rotation policy.
“Kanpur was also one of them. So, it’s a permanent Test centre. Then we have to keep other aspects also in mind. Second is our rotation policy. So, we have to go by the rotation policy. And three, India has now got a lot many venues. We have got a maximum number of venues which Australia and other countries don’t have. And we have to provide opportunity to all of them,” he added.
Shukla said smaller centres with infrastructure should host Tests to keep the fans interested in the game in these cities.
“The number of spectators that goes down in those cities, because people are used to watching, you know, T20 and one-day cricket, all that. So, that’s why we had, you know, this idea was floated that in B-grade cities, where we have got infrastructure, we should organise Test matches.
“Look at here, it’s almost packed. And during the rains also last two days, lot many people turned up to watch the match. That means there is an appetite. People are eager to watch cricket. So, that’s why we are keeping all those things in mind.”
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