Greater Noida and cricket do not always go hand in hand and its stadium also does not feature on anyone’s checklist of course for ODIs let alone ever played for in a top level domestic context especially the Ranji Trophy.
However, after being tested in such circumstances without any compromise on facilities and standard aspects, it was a matter of time that this ill-suited venue would be exposed to national criticism.
Belonging to the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, the above stadium is taken care of the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority GNIDA. It is not under the jurisdiction of the Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI and does not possess a super sopper to dry a wet outfield quickly.
Which meant that there would be no cricket play on these days outfield due to rain while which made this Test match. With excatly why every attention is on match referee Mr Javagal Srinath’ s reasoning on the stadiam the readiness of ig, the ground which has not played any serious has since 2020 which was termed ready to convene an interstate Test match has has why not.
Pink ball moment
The stadium has a provision of 8000 seats, which was constructed by GNIDA in the year 2013 at a cost of Rs 150 crore for the purposes of organizing cricket and football matches. More than a pauper’s showcase Bizarre to comprehend that more sports the infrastructure development managed to rejuvenate and realize the economical potential of the Centre in construction work carried to the 2014 facilities returned to the introduction of basketball, volleyball and skating rinks.
In 2014, the permission has been granted to the sports complex that international sporting events can be organized. The stadium shot into limelight when BCCI hosted the Duleep Trophy in Aug-Sept 2016 here, the first instance in India when first-class matches were played with pink balls and under lights.
However, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has been rather apprehensive to conduct domestic matches at the venue. The most recent CCL match under the auspices of BCCI that took place at the venue was an U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy match rub between Delhi and Haryana and that was in 2019. That was the case because Delhi and District Cricket Association were out of any ground that could be used for the hosting of the match.
In NCR, UPCA prefers to host domestic matches at Mohan Meakins Ground and Nehru Stadium in Ghaziabad.
But it’s not as if the Greater Noida ground has not experienced any kind of ‘international’ cricket. With Afghanistan cricket academy making it its ‘home’ ground, it witnessed three T20s played between Afghanistan and Ireland in March 2020, just prior to the ultimate lockdown inducing novel coronavirus.
Recently the stadium witnessed a few matches of the veteran cricket. Other than that only corporate matches are playing in there.
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The fact that no cricket could have taken place on two consecutive days even when there has been no daytime rain on the two days is really unfortunate. This suggests lack of vision and lack of planning in having a Test match at a ground which cannot drain the rainfall in the height of summer owing to its poor drainage system. People in charge should be ashamed of this situation and of the other problems that the stadium has and start modifying the defects. Test cricketers, and every other person who loves cricket for that matter, deserves more.
Ad hoc personnel for large events
administrationWN&P committee, headed by GNIDA CEO, administers its day-to-day affairs. Twenty support staff employed through an external agency assist with match organisation. For major competitions/events, such as the Duleep Trophy, extra staff is sourced and trained in areas such as covering pitches and crowd control.
Sources claimed that the drainage level of the ground can be compared to the standard of other international venues. However, the stadium has experienced issues with rain as well. There was one of the Duleep Trophy matches in which the rain interrupted the game, but it was played the next day. Superiority of BCCI resulted in the ground being canvassed and equipment to dry the ground being provided.
Over the years,. Costs told TOI, the stadium has usually been looked after in past few years when hardly anyone thought that it would be successful. Days before the announcement on the Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand, Centra Psychotria occurred shelling out about rupees sixty lakhs installing an underground shell. But soldiers that went before guarded munition issue. Thanks, the rain the day before spoilt the outfield which as of now has not grown back. On Tuesday, GNIDA’s additional CEO’s Prerna Singh and Ashutosh Dwivedi got Anzhen into the rescue of water.
Grand expectations
GNIDA has made up its mind about constructing sports facility has largest land parcel of 38 acres and called it Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex. Last year in October it requested private sports management companies to manage the operations of the complex to develop potential talents through the complex. Nonetheless, the first attempt is not so successful as expected.
The lawns of the sports facilities include provisions for playing lawn tennis, table tennis, basketball, badminton, skating, throwing football, cricket and jumping into a pool. Further there is a club with a food court, amphitheater and meeting room.
As per the sources, GNIDA is making attempts again to rope in the private players for the operation, maintenance and management of the complex. The operator will be able to set up sport academies and undertake other viable commercial activities, targeting restoring the complex’s status as an active sports center.
