BCCI expresses concern over low turnout at Tests

Crowd attendance hasnt improved during the ongoing Test series against the WI

The large swathes of empty seats in almost all the venues across the country have at last started to get worried glances of the powers-that-be in Indian cricket. Initially they had try to brush of what was plainly obvious. After the lukewarm response for the India-England ODI series that saw lowest ever turnouts for an India match at Mumbais Wankhede and Kolkatas Eden Gardens,the BCCI officials kept a stiff upper lip,blaming the numbers on the festival season.

Crowd attendance hasnt improved during the ongoing Test series against the West Indies. The largely vacant Eden Gardens have finally prompted the BCCIs chief administrative officer Prof Ratnakar Shetty to confess that they were really worried. Less than 10,000 spectators were present on the first days play in Kolkata on Monday.

Tuesdays turnout was a little better closer to 15,000 but still it was far cry from what it has known to be.

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Seasoned cricketers often speak with awe of the cauldron like atmosphere created by 90,000 passionate fans cheering for the home team. Those numbers may no longer be possible after Edens capacity was reduced to 67,300 after its renovation this year but what would rankle though is that Eden has yet to see a full house since then.

Sourav Ganguly who came to watch the game on Tuesday expressed shock at the poor response feelings were reciprocated by VVS Laxman who scored his fifth Test century at the Eden Gardens. Im definitely surprised at the number of spectators. We always felt that Kolkata was one place where you had a lot of support for Test match cricket, he said.

Matches at smaller centres?

BCCIs Shetty though worried,doesnt have anything concrete planned to address the issue. We are definitely concerned about it and will discuss the issue in our next meeting. We have to try to do something to attract people to watch Test matches. We will see if some arrangements can be made for school and college students. The BCCI may also consider hosting Test matches at smaller cities but we will have to consult the ICC in this regard, Shetty said on Tuesday.

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