How to get crowds for Test cricket

      After the full house in Banglore for the India Australia Test match there are voices to keep Test matches on centres which have a history of holding Test cricket. But this will not be the solution. At least we understand that we need to get people in the stadiums. I am very angry, and have been for the past few years, on arrogance of  cricket officials, drunk with money and power,horrible commentators and mediamen, who have no appetite to address the genuine concerns of the people. The spectators in India are treated as unwanted pests, and no one bothers whether people watch Test matches or not. All that was bad enough, but the latest suggestion that Tests should only be played at established Test centres and Test cricket should not be extended to new centres which currently host only one dayers is the height of brainlessness.

The recent Test in Nagpur between India and South Africa in Feb 2010 did not see proper crowds, while the one-dayer between India Australia last November was a full house.  This was because, for the one-dayer buses were arranged by VCA to go to the stadium and come back-the new stadium is a good 16 km away- and people could afford to go so far for one day on their own so far. But for the Test match, no buses were arranged and people couldn't go so far on working days. I had to pay for full 5 days ticket to watch the match only on day 4 because no daily tickets were available. This stupid policy of cricket officials of forcing people to buy tickets for all 5 days or not at all, has to be condemned by the media immediately.

   The claim that "Saurav Ganguly's retirement Test match could not attract more than 2000 spectators in November 2008" in Nagpur is the worst. People were dying to watch that match. But the stadium was so far away, that auto (A vehicle with 3 wheels which transports people) costs were around Rs 700 a day, no buses were arranged and no daily tickets were available. The season tickets (Of all 5 days) were so expensive that half of a man's monthly salary would have been spent on it. Instead of blaming the people of Nagpur for not going to the match, or the BCCI for awarding the match to Nagpur, the local cricket association should be condemned for its arrogance. Tests in Nagpur should be played at the old stadium in Civil Lines, which is in the city and cheap daily tickets should be available.

    I remember in February 2002, in the India Zimbabwe Test played at the old stadium in the heart of the city, daily tickets were available on day 3, and Sachin Tendulkar was batting (He scored 176 in that game), there was a full house of 40,000 people. Also, there was a huge crowd, though not a full house, for the next Test played in Nagpur against Australia in October 2004, which was also played at the old stadium. Every Test played in Nagpur at the old stadium saw big crowds, until Tests shifted to the new stadium 16 kilometers away in Nov 2008. Still, the new stadium would have been full in Nov 2008 had tickets been cheap, and transport facilities kept. And in Feb 2010, it was again due to the fact that the stadium was too far, and that Nagpurians had already watched 7 games, including 4 internationals, from October to December. When people have already spent so much, and seen enough to last a lifetime, why will they go so far as 16 km, to watch a Test with South Africans batting all day for 2 days, no food allowed inside the stadium? Still, many went there. And before the Test, teams were practicing at the old stadium in Civil Lines. There were many people (far more than the number of people who went to the Test 16 km away from the city in Jamtha) watching the practice. This shows that people wanted to watch the Test (if more number of people will go to watch Practice) but the distance of the new stadium in Jamtha drove them out. Of course, arrogant Boria Majumdar will not even bother to mention or notice this fact that despite having had 7 matches in the season, people still went to the old stadium to watch practice. How many would have gone to the Test had it been played in Civil Lines! To read Boria Majumdar's third class piece click on the link:

http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=20&edlabel=TOIM&mydateHid=03-03-2010&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar02000&format=&publabel=TOI

 Nagpur has always seen crowds for Test cricket, except for the last 2 Tests- in Nov 2008 against Australia and Feb 2010 against South Africa. There were different reasons for these 2.  For the faults of organisers, why should the people of Nagpur suffer, and why should Nagpur be blacklisted as a Test venue?And these causes do not include ATROCITIES ON PEOPLE, no food allowed inside the stadium, not even in polythenes, no binoculars. You can only eat the expensive food available at the stadium. No hotels or eateries anywhere close by unlike at the old stadium in Civil Lines, as Jamtha is miles away from civilization.

     The belief : "While it is a bold attempt to spread Test cricket to relatively newer centres in India, evidence suggests that the experiment is premature and needs to be abandoned immediately" is absolutely wrong and false, and the reality is exactly the opposite. It is shocking to see eminent writers like Boria Majumdar feeling like this. Firstly, no such attempts are being made since Nagpur and Mohali are both old centres and there are a mere 9 centres for Tests in India. Nagpur hosted its first Test as far back as 1969. (Now the 10th one has been added- Hyderabad). The older ones like Lucknow, Hyderabad and Jallandhar which have hosted matches earlier are now abandoned. Actually, to get crowds for Test matches, this is exactly what needs to be done. Cities like Gwalior, Indore, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Pune, Vaodara, Kochi, etc need to used as Test centres. The crowd response here is amazing in one day matches, because these cities get games only once in a few years. Even the otherwise arrogant commentators, who don't care a damn bit about spectator convenience staying in their AC commentary boxes, said during the India South Africa one-dayer in Gwalior: "Looking at the crowd response to this match and the crowd that came to watch the practice yesterday, Test cricket needs to be moved to such centres now- to get full houses". This was said by Ravi Shastri.

    If the same centres get too many matches, people's enthusiasm is reduced, and also their ability to spend.There are less centres in England and Australia. In Australia also crowds are no longer strong, and the ones that do come are because live coverage of the match is banned in the city where the match is being played unless its a full house. England is an exceptional case. It is a traditional country and though tickets are costly, they are still affordable, unlike in Nagpur where it was totally beyond the means of the people to buy them.

   This is the very reason why there are no crowds to watch Tests in South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and West Indies- because the same centres get too many matches. And as for the claim that Sachin Tendulkar got his 12,000th run in Mohali in front of an empty house in Mohali, that was because there were no daily tickets available, people had to buy for either all 5 days or none, and there was a long security check of 2 hours to get in the ground, and then one had to sit in the blazing sun to watch the game. And inside no food was allowed to be taken, no binoculars, no transistors. Why would anyone take the trouble to do all this- blow away half the month's salary to suffer all this, when he could easily watch the match on TV at home? If, instead the PCA officials had kept daily tickets, for say Rs 50, and word had spread about Sachin nearing 12,000 runs and there been no 2 hour security check, people would have come to the ground and watched the maestro get to 12,000 runs.

   The claim that traditional centres see high crowds also is not fully correct. There were only 40-45 thousand in Kolkata in 2001 in that epic game when Laxman and Dravid were on song, against its capacity of 1 lakh. We saw this Delhi also now, against West Indies. We already saw how crowds have been poor for the India England series even in one-dayers in traditional centres like Kolkata (which saw a miserable 20,000 people for the one-dayer), Mumbai etc. Of course, that was due to fatigue and overpriced tickets. The crowds for the Tests between India and South Africa in Ahmedabad and Chennai in 2008 were also not strong enough, despite the fact that they are old Test centres. Attendances have declined everywhere- in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Banglore as well where earlier you couldnt get space for an ant to move. Now you will be lucky to have the stadium half full in Mumbai and Kolkata and 80 % full in Banglore or Chennai. In traditional centres like Delhi, Kolkata and even Mumbai against West Indies in 2011, there were near-empty houses. Only in Mumbai the crowds up from Day 3, due to the 'Tendulkar magnet' to watch the man get his 100th 100 in his hometown, which he missed by just six runs.

    To get crowds in Test matches following things must be immediately done:

1- Cities presently hosting only one dayers, with adequate facilities need to be immediately used as Test centres, like Vadodara, Rajkot, Pune, Hyderabad, Jamshedpur, Guwahati, Indore, Gwalior, Kochi, and Vishakhapatnam in India and other places in the world like Gujranwala, Hyderabad in Pakistan, Darwin in Australia,and all places which currently host only one dayers in other countries. This will ensure that the same centres will not get too many matches and ensure people's enthusiasm.

2- The concept of 'tickets for all 5 days or none' must be ended immediately with daily tickets available. The prices of the tickets should be cheap- and not extravagant and concession i.e. discount should be given if someone buys for all 5 days. If in case of poor turnout, free entry can also be given.

3- Cities which earlier hosted international games but are not now being used need to be used as one day centres immediately- like Patna (which hosted a World Cup game in 1996), Amritsar, Jallandhar and Lucknow (which hosted a Test in 1993) and Vijaywada (which hosted a one day game in 2002). Some of these can also be used as Test centres. A good beginning has been made by adding Ranchi in Jharkhand and Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh as one-day centres from 2013 onwards.

4- In cases like Nagpur, where the stadium is too far away, buses need to arranged by the board, with cheap tickets. Or Tests should be played at the old stadium in the heart of the city, and one-dayers and 20-20s can be played at the new stadium 16 kilometers away, because fans can go so far for 1 day, but not all 5.

5- If none of the above 4 give desired results, then along with them, live telecast of the match should be banned in the city where the match is being played unless its a full house or 80 % full, by law.

   With our officials drunk with money and power- it is no surprise to see them not do any of the above. But what is disgusting is the reaction of the media- and the commentators. Commentators have a duty to raise the issues of the people and the media too. Instead of raising these issues which will ensure full houses they are demanding that only few centres get to host Tests. Boria Majumdar should be asked to live in Nagpur and go for Test matches so far away, the ARROGANT man who wants to take away Nagpurians rights to host Tests, ignoring all of the atrocities on Nagpurians.

   The only encouraging thing is the voicing of the opinion that there is a need to have people in the stadiums for Test cricket. May God give brain to our officials  and the media and may the above steps be implemented to ensure crowds for Tests in India- and also worldwide!