The New Indian Express ·
Sport
Schedule Test matches at traditional venues
On Sunday morning, when it was known that East Zone’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would be batting first in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone in Chennai, fans made a beeline for M A Chidambaram Stadium. The turnout validated the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s choice in more than one way. First, it was right to host the final in front of fans. When the schedule was out initially, the final was supposed to be a closed-doors affair (barring some journalists) at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence outside Bengaluru. But the final of the 65-year-old tournament ought to be celebrated in front of fans. The BCCI also deserves appreciation for ensuring domestic red-ball cricket featuring big players—in the ongoing final, as many as seven of the 22 players have earned India caps. Out of the seven, Sooryavanshi is one of the hottest properties in world cricket. Beyond him, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Mohammed Siraj won the T20 World Cup, while Mohammed Shami is a stalwart in his own right. Then there is Devdutt Padikkal, who could be India’s No 3 Test batter for years to come. The next rung features the 23-year-old Ravichandran Smaran, who is vying for an India cap.
With free entry, over 10,000 spectators turned up on the opening day. It begs the question what’s stopping the BCCI from allotting Chennai one Test match per year? It’s time to reopen the debate for a city that used to host mid-January Pongal Tests for decades up to 1988. It’s a good idea to spread the game’s longest format to other parts, but also it’s increasingly clear that traditional centres like Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru attract much larger Test crowds than others.
Virat Kohli’s wish, expressed almost a decade ago, of playing in fixed Test centres is yet to be acted upon. This would face two purposes with a straight bat—ensuring an appreciative atmosphere and helping the team get acclimatised to certain conditions. This is why England, South Africa and Australia pick set venues. But as the BCCI sticks to its rotation policy for now, it is risking demoralising players in front of empty stands. It’s a pity that for the marquee Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia starting next January, only one of the five Tests will be at a traditional venue—Chennai.
