Is the BCCI’s strategy of spreading out Test cricket paying well against England?

India is a cricket fan, but do the fans enjoy Test matches as much as they like the IPL, T20Is, and ODIs? The first round, which begins on Thursday against Ben Stokes and Co., will provide an immediate gauge of fan demand for the new format since we have committed to inviting England and Australia for a five-match Test series in the current four-year cycle.

It is interesting to note that the towns selected by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had only previously hosted 16 Test matches: nine by Hyderabad, two by Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, and Ranchi, and one by Dharamsala. Nothing suggests that the schedule was done with home advantage in mind. If not, red-soil fields in Chennai and Mumbai would be the best places to grow turners. The schedule complies with the board’s decision to allow smaller centers to play Test cricket as well as its rotation strategy.

With playing levels declining and interest in Tests among countries other than the main three cricketing powers waning, South Africa is turning its attention to Twenty20 cricket, bilateral cricket with Pakistan being off limits, and Test series against Australia and England that have grown into major events. So was it a question of playing the next series in the old Test locations, which were more suited to hosting red-ball internationals?

CLASSICAL CENTERS
Prior to the 1990s, when ODI cricket gained popularity, Test cricket in India was mostly played in the country’s five metropolises or permanent Test locations. The most Tests have been held in Eden Gardens in Kolkata (42), followed by Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi (35), Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium (34), Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai (26), Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium (24), and Green Park in Kanpur (23). Several Tests have also been held in Mohali’s PCA Stadium (14) and Ahmedabad’s Motera, which is now the Narendra Modi Stadium (15).

There was an increasing desire to expand international cricket to other locations once the wealth of the IPL trickled down to the 38 state entities that make up the BCCI.

A growing number of venues have constructed their own stadiums. Why should we throw away that infrastructure? Additionally, it’s a means of generating enthusiasm for Test cricket throughout the nation, according to IPL chairman Arun Dhumal.

Bringing in crowds
But it’s taking the new centers some time to get used to playing Test cricket. In Rajkot and Visakhapatnam during the 2016 series, traveling England supporters generated more noise than locals.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association, which is organizing the first Test, is making an attempt to attract spectators by offering reasonably priced tickets. Every day, 5,000 free tickets will be distributed to children in schools, and on Republic Day, military personnel will be granted free admission. It is irrelevant to ask if the spectators would fully appreciate a daring Joe Root switch-hit or a Jasprit Bumrah yorker with the new ball, which exemplifies the shifting rhythms of Test cricket. Mumbai is home to the well-liked North Stand, which attracts frequent Test cricket fans.

The president of the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), which will host the third Test, Jaydev Shah, a former cricket player, said, “You will only know when you give crowds at smaller cities a chance to become acquainted with Test cricket.” It’s a fact that gate revenues won’t bring in a lot of money. To promote Test cricket is the idea. Since the main cities get to host their fair number of bilateral cricket matches in addition to IPL and ICC tournaments.

Nobody wants to miss the opportunity to welcome Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, even in white flannels, as test expenses are protected by Indian broadcast revenue and the state teams’ status is at risk. However, as the Covid years showed, broadcast money alone is insufficient to create an entertaining sport. Additionally, Indian test cricket matches no longer draw large crowds.

Traveling fans would love Dharmsala, the fifth Test location since it is a mountainous tourist resort with stunning scenery. Will large stadiums in Ranchi and Visakhapatnam draw audiences, though?

Former BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty said, “The scheduling has to be thought through with the volume of cricket being played.” Maybe there is an instance of playing major teams in the usual Test locations, like as South Africa, Australia, and England. In this manner, Indian stars will still be seen in the smaller centers, although against lower-division clubs. Nonetheless, it’s not an easy decision to make given the way BCCI’s voting system operates.

Just six state teams compete in domestic cricket in Australia, while the biggest Test matches are held in five large cities. Within the 18-county system of England, tests are limited to six locations. With 145 Tests, Lord’s has hosted the most in history.

The Players’ Perspective
Opinion among players is still split. Virat Kohli remained unwavering in his belief that Test cricket should be played at five premier Test venues while serving as India’s captain. The perspective of current captain Rohit Sharma is quite different. He said last year that Test cricket should be played around the nation, not just in a few major cities, if the sport is to be promoted.

Go back much further to MS Dhoni’s 2010 remarks. “Perhaps some of these locations where fans attend Test matches could be prioritized over some other locations where fans don’t attend in big numbers,” he said. “After all, we are the performers in the circus, if you take that statement in the correct context, but the circus needs to be full.”

If BCCI is the mastermind, it is still trying to figure out the ideal response.

The majority of tests in India
The address is Eden Gardens, 42

Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla is 35

Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, 34

Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, 26

Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, 24

Kanpur’s Green Park — 23

Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, 18

Ahmedabad’s Motera — 15

Mohali’s PCA Stadium — 14

Future series locations: RGI Stadium in Hyderabad (5

Stadium ACA-VDCA, Visakhapatnam – 2

Rajkot, SCA Stadium, 2

Ranchi’s JSCA Stadium, #2

Dharamsala’s HPCA Stadium, 1