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New Delhi: There were barely any cricket fans seen at the India vs West Indies first Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, but fans swarmed to witness the India A vs Australia A third unofficial ODI match in Kanpur on Sunday, October 5.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajiv Shukla was pleased with the huge crowd turnout in Kanpur and expressed his joy on social media. Shuka stated that India A games rarely drew crowds, and it was great to see the passion of the people of Kanpur.
Whereas, fans didn't turn out in numbers for the Indian Test match, and it was a home Test match for the Men in Blue after 11 months. The game was played in the biggest stadium, and big stars were featured in the game, including Shubhman Gill, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Ravindra Jadeja. But despite all of this, fans barely came to watch the game in the early morning.
Some fans criticised BCCI on social media for the scheduling of the West Test series, as the Indian team played the Asia Cup, and days after, the Men in Blue hopped into the red-ball format.
Kanpur didn't get many opportunities to host Indian games, and in the recently concluded unofficial match, Shreyas Iyer was among the top stars featured in the game. Iyer was captaining the side with Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Riyan Parag, and Tilak Varma all were in action in the third game in Kanpur.
Fans erupted to watch the Indian stars, and the team didn't let them down as they chased down the 317-run target comfortably. However, it will not be a rightful comparison of crowds between both matches, as with the arrival of India's head coach Gautam Gambhir, top stars were advised to play India A games, and with red-ball games happening with lower-tier teams, the crowd difference will be a talking point.
If India have to pull out crowd for Test matches, they have to prioritise venues for the red-ball games. Test cricket has a niche audience and is played with a view of tourism or passion for the game. The Indian team played in 18 venues in the 21st century, and if they limit the venues to six or seven stadiums for Test matches, then BCCI can be successful in bringing fans to the stadium.
Former India Test skipper Virat Kohli advised the BCCI to reduce the Test matches to five centers and reveal the pitches' status to all fans, then the crowd will be eager to watch the purest form of cricket from the stands.
