Test Cricket at Mohali

There was one dark spot in the overwhelming victory at Mohali though. This match, between the two best test teams, featuring a plethora of great talent, attracted only sparse crowds. The only groups of audiences worth mentioning were schoolchildren who were given free entry to watch the game and Australian tourists. Much has been written about this fiasco, so here are my few words.

Test matches have never attracted big crowds at Mohali. It will be impossible to find records of ticket sales (ditto for all Indian grounds). But I have never seen the Mohali stands more than 25% full for any test match.

Let’s not get into analysis-paralysis here. It’s a simple case of social psychology (for want of a more appropriate term). People from that part of the country simply do not understand or appreciate test cricket – a fact reflected in the dearth of test cricketers produced from that region. Unfortunately such bad eggs create a negative image of the passion that this country has for cricket, and especially for the real cricket.

Now it is up to our ‘able’ administrators to decide. Do they want to continue forcing test cricket down the throats of Chandigarh-ites? Not to mention the IS Bindra connection here. Or will they bring more test cricket to Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, where people understand, appreciate, love and are hungry for more top quality test match cricket?

We all know what BCCI’s priorities are. Unfortunately we have to see our #1 passion hijacked for the vested interests of these greedy rogues.