IND vs WI: "Take test matches to small venues.." Aakash Chopra after low attendance during Ahmedabad test

The first IND vs WI test saw very few fans attending the world’s biggest cricket stadium.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has reacted to the empty stadium for the first test between India and the West Indies. This match was played at the world’s biggest cricket ground, Narendra Modi International Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad and began on October 2.

The stadium that can hold more than one lakh spectators and has seen full houses in T20Is and the Indian Premier League (IPL) was barely filled for the three days that the match went on for.

The West Indies won the toss and opted to bat first. Apart from a 48-run fourth-wicket stand between captain Roston Chase (24 off 43 balls, four boundaries) and Shai Hope (26 off 36 balls, three fours), and a gritty knock of 32 from Justin Greaves (73 balls, four boundaries), the visitors offered little resistance as they were dismissed for 162 in 44.1 overs.

Mohammed Siraj (4/40) and Jasprit Bumrah (3/42) made the most of the lively surface, while spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2/25) and Washington Sundar (1/9) chipped in with key breakthroughs.

India replied strongly with a dominant batting display led by KL Rahul (100 off 197 balls, 12 fours), Dhruv Jurel (125 off 210 balls, 15 fours and three sixes), and Ravindra Jadeja (104* off 176 balls, six fours and five sixes) to declare at 448/5.

In their second innings, West Indies struggled once again, bowled out for just 146. Alick Athanaze (38 off 74 balls, three fours) and Justin Greaves (25 off 52 balls, four boundaries) were the only notable contributors. Jadeja (4/54), Siraj (3/31), and Kuldeep (2/23) shared the wickets to complete India’s comprehensive win.

“Play in Guwahati, Ranchi, or Indore, and the stadium will be full.”- Aakash Chopra

Even though the supporters may have continued to watch the test cricket match through other channels, the sight of the stadium on TV was very alluring. Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra recommended that test cricket matches be played in smaller grounds.

“Take Test matches to smaller centers. If you don’t want a tier system, that’s fine, but if it is important, go to smaller centers. Play in Guwahati, Ranchi, or Indore, and the stadium will be full. Or play a pink-ball test, as it will add some excitement because, in this form and shape, it is not about the love for the game,” said Chopra in his YouTube video.

“People are coming to watch matches; they came to Kanpur for India A’s match, and they came to Delhi for a Ranji Trophy match, so they will come here too. But the chances of people coming to watch in Ahmedabad? No,” he added.

He highlighted the gap between the Indian team and the West Indies, who are struggling in test cricket. He stated that there isn’t much appetite for low-key contests.

“There are multiple reasons. The gap between India and the West Indies is very big. Coming to watch the West Indies play seems like a laborious task. The other thing is, look at the size of the stadium. It has a capacity of 132,000. So, even if 10-15 thousand fans come, it still looks totally empty. Ahmedabad hosts so many big-ticket matches like the IPL final and the World Cup final, and whatnot. So, there isn’t any appetite for a low-key contest like this,” Chopra added.

The second test of the series will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from October 10 onwards.

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