Cavernous Ahmedabad stadium magnifies lack of interest in India-West Indies Test

Mohammed Siraj celebrates a wicket in the first Test between India and West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium (AP Photo)

Before we start hammering nails into Test cricket’s coffin, let’s be clear about one thing – the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad isn’t easy to fill. With a maximum capacity of 132,000, it was nowhere near full even for the 2023 World Cup final between India and Australia, when a crowd of 92,453 came through the turnstiles. That was well short of the 104,859 that had watched the first post-Covid Indian Premier League (IPL) final in 2022, which the hometown Gujarat Titans won.

Two days into the India-West Indies Test, the one thing more noticeable than the lopsided nature of the contest has been the lack of interest from the paying public. Scheduling it during the Puja holidays perhaps didn’t help, but there has been next to no enthusiasm or buzz about a match against West Indies, who have gone from near-Invincibles to easy-beats in the space of three decades.

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The Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), perhaps anticipating little demand for tickets, opened only the lower tiers of the cavernous stands. Even then, the backdrop to most of the shots that KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja played on their way to hundreds were empty plastic seats, rows and rows of them in different colours. Anil Patel, the GCA secretary, told journalists that the association knew that the response would be pretty lukewarm. Still, they took on the task of hosting the game because a Test match still has some cachet.

The ticket prices are fairly low. You can get a season ticket – all days – for just Rs 1,000. Despite that, there has been no uptake from fans for a match that India are expected to wrap up inside three days on Saturday.

This is not just about West Indies either. As long ago as 2008, India were skittled for 76 and the great AB de Villiers made 217 not out as South Africa, then one of the strongest sides in the world, won by an innings. But if you pore though footage from that game at the old Motera Stadium, you’ll see a similar assortment of abandoned plastic seats in the background.

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Virat Kohli was among those who favoured playing Test matches in traditional venues as they do in England and Australia. But the BCCI have long since adopted a rotation system and, with their revenue model least dependent on gate receipts, there is little urge to change it. For now, Indian Test fans who want to sample an unforgettable atmosphere will just have to grit their teeth and get visas for Australia or England. In India, the vacant plastic seats seem to be here to stay.