BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly feels infrastructure not the only reason behind Ranchi Test's poor turnout

The last Test before former India captain Sourav Ganguly took over as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president though saw India as the winners, other questions came up and they were about the venue that hosted the game- Ranchi. The turnout was so poor in the match that even the organizers were left wondering whether hosting another Test match in future will be a worthy call or not. The JSCA International Sports Complex has so far hosted only two Tests with one of them ending in a dull draw.

Ganguly, who took over as the president on Wednesday, spoke on a wide range of issues, including captain Virat Kohli’s viewpoint of India hosting Tests at five premier venues and the poor attendance that Ranchi saw during the game against South Africa. Even Ranchi’s favourite son, MS Dhoni, came up in the talks as the cricketing fraternity continues to be baffled over his future plans.

On the low attendance in Ranchi, Ganguly said that it is not just the infrastructure part in Ranchi that stood between the game and a high turnout. He cited the example of the Indian Premier League games that see huge turnouts at the same stadium.

‘During IPL, it’s the same stadium which is choc-a-block’- Sourav Ganguly

“Yes but the same fans turn up for IPL isn’t it? Where it’s choc-a-block in the same stadium. So it’s a bit more than just stadiums. Test cricket needs a revisit of how it can be popularized. Eden Gardens will host Bangladesh on November 22, and we don’t know what’s going to happen in that Test match,” Ganguly said in a press conference.

“But you see an IPL game – and I was involved with the Delhi Capitals last year – you just couldn’t keep people happy by giving tickets. The same stadium, same toilet, same ground, and people come in and turn up in huge numbers. I think the problem is somewhere else. But at the same time, infrastructure has to be done properly.

But if you look at some of the new stadiums, they are remarkable. You go to Hyderabad, you go to Nagpur, the new stadium in Mumbai, Ranchi – it’s fantastic. As much as you say that part needs to be looked at, and rightly so that part needs to be looked at,” he added.

Kohli, who led India to a 3-0 whitewash against the Proteas in the just concluded series, offered the idea of holding Test matches in only five venues (Australia, England, SA and other countries have Test matches in their traditional grounds). To this, the 47-year-old Ganguly said he will support Kohli in every manner possible.

[interaction id=”5da07eca43a8074ee9c2089e”]