I concur, Paul ! While, i am trying to not sound sympathetic, i do know that 'let down' feeling. Its not just a question of bigger cities, but a plush, comfortable stadium, affordable prices and accessible location goes a long way in stoking the appetite of the spectators.

As someone who has grown up within miles of the Eden Gardens, i'd feel similarly shortchanged if matches in England were in div-II county grounds instead of Lord's or Headingley. Not to demean the standards of Ahmedabad as a cricketing venue, but i honestly feel.. the decision to send the English cricket team jetsetting on a trip to faraway outposts, often causing the discomfort akin to flying across the timezones, is more of an unfortunate byproduct, of the fractious relationship ECB and BCCI share.

Hi Paul,

I am from India, based at Bangalore. I recently had the opportunity to fulfill my long cherished dream of visiting the Lords stadium. I was quite surprised to see how small the actual playing surface was, but the view for the spectators were great. I still get goose bumps thinking of the moment when i sat in the visitors dressing room and players balcony. It was an amazing experience. My other long cherished dream was fulfilled recently when I got to see an IPL match at Eden Gardens. A match which was single handedly won by Sourav Ganguly and when the whole stadium erupted. There can be no other ground which evokes such emotion and decibel levels than the Eden Gardens boasting of 100,000 throats screaming themselves hoarse. I have but a little wish left to see India lift the world cup again and then I can say my mind rests in peace...

Paul,
Let me first assure you that Ahmeddabad is not what your friend SB said. Gujarat is one of most vibrant states of India and Ahmedabad is their major city. Gujarat is dry place and that has nothing to do with bcci or ecb.
In India there were never full stands when test is played at other than 4-5 metros or say old venues So nothing new its just you guys now spotting it more often. Yeah ODIs always go full.
Dont know but England always makes fuss about where to play rather than play good cricket. Australia never makes any fuss out side what happens on cricket pitch in India.
Now Nagpur would be one most unpopular venue for you guys if Aussies had not played there.And they did played long ODI series last same as England but no one complained.
In country like India its difficult to keep playing at same venues each season like you do in England.
BCCi-ECB may have whatever fight going on but its just insulting each time english mans complaining about venues.
thanks,mer.

While I agree that Eden Gardens is probably one of the best venues that India has, the choice of venues for games is based on rotation. There is a rotation policy in effect which allows all grounds to get a share of matches (whether ODIs or Tests). One ground cannot get more than 1 game before all grounds have had at least 1 each. Having said that, changes can be implemented out of turn but overall I believe they stick to the rotation policy.

Ahmedabad is worse even than Kanpur? Wow. Did not know that. Actually, both are equally bad, being sleep industrial backwaters with nothing to offer the tourist. Be patient. The whole concept of international tourists travelling to India to watch their teams play cricket in the most cricket crazy country in the world is new to Indian administrators. They will catch on by 2010, and actually start thinking about dovetailing tourism with the electric atmosphere of Cricket in India. Right now, watching Cricket live in India is no fun anywhere. We have a long way to go to catch up with the likes of Australia, SA or England.

I was in Ahmedabad in 2001 when we toured. I would have been there again this time but for health issues. I agree though that it's the dream of thousands of England fans to watch a Test at Eden Gardens, and to miss out on a Test there for the third series running, especially having been all but promised one this time was particularly galling. Several thousand English would have made the trip to Kolkata, but instead we're going to once again see a Test match played in a nearly empty stadium. Ahmedabad hosted its last Test match much more recently than Kolkata did. South Africa played there just a few weeks ago. So much for the BCCI's "rotation policy." With their policy of hosting Test cricket at venues where the public don't support it, and selling only 5-day passes, so making it unattractive to those who can only make it along for one or two days, I'm actually starting to wonder whether the BCCI is deliberately trying to kill off Test cricket by making it appear there's no interest.

Can't agree more than what Mr.Harvey has said.

Disappointed at fingers being pointed out for nythn n evrythng - Eden is great but can't see other venues sufferin 4 dat ....
Jus a suggestion - don start your Tour with Cribbing and complaints bro - It only Irritates us and goes on to demean your images .... India is India - Dont expect another England frm it - England s nyways der for those ....

Btw , Harvey , man u r to pessimistic - Thanks for not commin - We don want people with such mindsets to come here n Crib about everything we have ....

Rotation my foot!!!...BCCI is all about politics...Eden Gardens do not get a test match against either the Aussies or the Brits only because CAB is headed by Dalmiya.
Eden Gardens is one of the best cricket grounds ever in this world.It has a capacity of around 100,00 people and believe me, I have been there, it gets filled up even for test matches against weaker nations.I just cannot believe we have not had a test match here this summer.

Having read the article & the subsequent comments so far..all contributors are making a valid point. However, I also widh to point out... whilst Ahmdebad/Gujarat is a dry state...I believe alcohol is available to those that are tourists. It is a simple matter of obtaining an alcohol permit prior to entry & then you are able to purchase your drinks from authorised suppliers. There is a small fee payable & you are given a quota of being able to purchase X number of units per day.... whether you can drink at grounds like you do in other parts of the world I don't know...

Do you any of guys even bother to get your facts right? The Eden is under renovation and that is why it wasn't awarded any games for either the Australia or the England series. It is indeed a sight to behold when a 100,000 rabid fans light those torches.

Let's come to the stadia now. The Eden Gardens is one huge concrete monster. Anyone who has been to the Motera in Ahmedabad will easily attest to the better facilities there. It was the first stadium in India to have bucket-seats throughout the stands, each of which was sheltered.

Finally, the cities. Kolkata is a run-down hell-hole with terrible weather. The people are not even close to being hospitable. There is the night life with all the pubs and discotheques, but you'll find that in Ahmedabad too (minus the booze). I don't have any qualms with that, as the people of Gujarat would rather have their sisters and daughters be able to travel freely over the city at any hour rather than being nervous about being molested by drunkards.

I think like in Australia and England, BCCI should rotate the test matches between Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore. These 5 places can guarantee very good attendance for test cricket. ODIs and Twenty20s can be rotated between the other venues, for which the crowds would come anyway.

I would like to second Pankaj. Also there is a lot to see in Ahemdabad, if ofcourse you are a history buff. I would recommend you read about Ahemdabad before you plan your journey and you will find a lot of places of interest. but yes Crowds would be a issue if you are not a people person and dont like getting in crowds. Well you can think you are on a dance floor when in crowds and maybe you will just enjoy it :-)

England supporters can count themselves lucky to be able to see a test match at the Brabourne in Bombay. It's more than 30 years since a test was played there, and while the facilities may not be up to scratch (thanks to the club's meagre income from cricket), witnessing a test match in one of the most beautiful grounds in the world will be thrilling. The Brabourne is probably the only art deco cricket stadium in the world. It is a hallowed place for anyone with a sense of cricket history. Certainly for Indian cricket it is a very special place. But alas for cricket politics in India being what it is, it may be years before a test is played there again.

Its a free world , everyone got their opinions. I would like to say that , every city has its own charm and to single out one city based on cricket ground is pathetic. Eden garden ? if my memory serves me right , when ganguly was dropped of the side didnt those bengalis behaved in very un appropriately . India will always be a statehood country , my state is better than yours .....
Every city that has a decent enough ground should have mathces . Hellloooo its INDIA not bengal or gujrat or MP. When will we start to respect other cities. Why not just divide india into different countries since we cant stop fighting about it !
I agree there is some serious doubts about the ROTATION policy of BCCI. Its needs to be more open system.
At the end , lets just enjoy some good cricket and hope the game is played in the right spirit.

Cheers.

Perhaps BBCI and the Tourism Ministry should work together to provide the visiting fans a good experience. Unfortunately both these bodies are not dynamic enough to capitalize on this market.
To the intrepid visitor, even the remote areas of India offer a chance to see something incredible, whether it is historic forts, palaces or wildlife. Not all of India's attractions are in the 4-5 big cities, but the further you are from these centres, the more adventurous you need to be to seek out the experience and not get defeated by the logistics. India just isnt the shrink wrapped tourist experience like Australia, or a small island/beach based one like WI. Unfortunately, some fans want all the charms of the world to be laid out within walking distance of the hotel lobby/bar. If the itinerary excludes some of your must visit Indian destinations, you could always miss an ODI or two. Surely 7 ODIs are one too many anyway and with cheap internal flights, India's your oyster. Enjoy your tour!

At least you know where the game's going to be played. We're planning to go to the 6th ODI in Guwahati. ECB has asked for it to be moved on security grounds (70 killed in bomb attacks only 2 weeks ago). BCCI is digging its heels in. And the game is only 16 days away. So we've had to cancel - a loss of tourist income for India.

I dont think BCCI is going strict with it's rotation policy with regard to the venues & am not sure whether there is any such policy. If that's the case then New Delhi & Bangalore wont be hosting the Eng V/S Ind ODI's. It's a pity that the richest cricket board in the world is having most poorest administrators,barring a few.

Though the Eden Gardens is one of the best cricket ground we have in India, the same cant be said about the spectators. Time & again they've proved that they enjoy their cricket by disrupting the smooth flow of the game. That's the main reason why Eden Gardens is not hosting more ODI's & Test matches.

Paul Winslow, dont throw stones in glass houses - when india palyed in england last i had to travel to bristol - now thats a tiny horrible ground ( and should not even have international status) and the rose bowl - new ground but miles away from southampton. And both those cities are not exactly london !!!!

So dont be a patronising englishman !!! otherwise you might get a smack like the ECB !!!

England will play where India wants them to play that is teh sad fact. Here England is the ECB and India is the BCCI. the problems go back a long way and it is a question of the odl versus teh new. England has ridden roughshod over all other memebrs for ages and now it is thier commeuppence. one more thing why is that England plays four tests with minnows westindies but only two with india. it takes two to tango and since ECB cant bankroll anything in international cricket they better get in the queue for favours from BCCI.

I have been living in England for nearly ten years and i can tell you the only peopel who are intrested in cricket r people of asian or wetindian descent. The rest of the country in football crazy half of them donot even know who teh english captain is. so mybe ahmedbad is good enuf for such a country or maybe they shld play a test for thier next tour in somewhere like guwhati.

sorry to rant but you are treated how you treat others

This is for Mahek....
One piece of advice...A pub ain't a pub if you don't get beer there...And if one needs a licence to get one's beer ... God Help me....

A night life without booze is something I would rather leave to the readers imagination and choice.....

And when it comes to people...I am sure you guys can teach the rest of the country a thing or two in public behaviour...Huh!

Mahek,
What are you saying ? You must be the first person who said' The people are not even close to being hospitable'. I think kolkata/bengalis are known for their hospitably. Have you ever been to kolkata or not ? Please don't make comments out of thin air. I went to Eden Garden few times during test matches and I couldn't believe the atmosphere there. You need to be there to feel it.

Ayan

There's nothing in wrong in what Paul Winslow said. I think long gone is the time since cricket used to be just cricket. It's now sports + entertainment (distribution) revenue generating business that's got a global fan base. It would be a smart move to add tourism to that equation. This is not a new formula, it is an age old one. Caribbean islands have been doing it for a while now. If you saw the last world cup just for cricket's sake, you are in a minority mate. Cricket coupled with other things brought in the crowd into the islands. Let's not forget that entertainment is what it aims for(on and off the pitch). I have not toured Ahmedabad and cannot say much about its potential as a tourist spot. However, a westerner is bound to look for a Bar + beach and local tourism. If A'bad cannot offer that, then it should be chosen for Pakistan/ B'desh/ S'Lanka matches while SA/AU/NZ/ENG should have different venues. I'd request the members to be not Parochial in their response.

Eden Gardens is one of the greatest sporting arenas , which has witnessed many hard fought battles . However it has lost favour with the administrators recently and this and deprived many fans of the charm of watching cricket in this haloed stadium . Corrective action must be taken to resolve this issue so that this great stadium does not drift into oblivion....

When it comes to Eden Gardens...well as far as I know there are only three of its kind..when it comes to legendary cricket stadiums..
1. Lords
2. Eden.
3. MCG.
These three form a league of their own and there exists no stadium in the world today that matches these three in any possible aspect.

If we do have some renovation (which is definitely over-due) going on at the Eden as Mahek pointed out earlier then its a valid reason...But giving Eden the miss is definitely something that BCCI should not be doing deliberately...
To add to it Kolkata has some of the best Pub's in India so to say...If you guys do vist Kolkata do visit the "Someplace Else" at "The Park"...A must see for all music lovers...

Someone said of night life without booze...I wonder what would that be like..."Bartender can I have a Cranberry Juice please?..."

This is in direct response to Mahek's comment. Mahek, stick with the constructive criticism and stop pointing fingers at fellow Indian cities. Your comments on Kolkata were in horribly bad taste, you have either never come here once or have had a very bad experience. But till then, stop making comments like "Kolkata is a run-down hell-hole with terrible weather" and " I don't have any qualms with that, as the people of Gujarat would rather have their sisters and daughters be able to travel freely over the city at any hour rather than being nervous about being molested by drunkards."

Paul, The matches in India are determined for a host of reasons that does not include a few thousands English or other overseas supporters. I dont want you to think that I'm undermining the sacrifice many make to get to follow their team, but for an average Indian coming to the UK, places like Birmingham and Liverpool havent got much to offer. That's cultural divide. India is several times the size of England and various state boards have to survive and make money for India does not have a county circuit that operates like a free market. Tests and ODIs are their only oppurtunity to make money big time and its not seats that pay it - but TV revenues. Watching a test in Lord's is beyond the avge Englishman leave alone the avge Indian. So please do stop moaning and get on enjoying and get a bit culturally savvy rather than looking for English comforts in india. When in rome do as the romans do or dont travel,Sorry had to get it out for you guys moan a lot. Enjoy the country liquormate

In response to "Mahek", that was curlish and very very rude.Kolkata is a 'run-down hell-hole with terrible weather'? Maybe, but I love it. Why, I wonder, do millions of people from other provinces in India come and settle down there? And, they too love the city, warts and all. Kolkata has many drawbacks, but it is vibrant. And the Eden will always remain Eden. Remember that...mahek!!!

For Ash,
Yeah its true that Eden fans rooted for SA when Ganguly was dropped. Its shameful that others did not protest against BCCI's contorted policies. Oh, its also true that Eden fans rioted in the stands when Sachin was given run out after colliding with Akhtar in the '99 Test. So don't give me that idea of Eden fans only rooting for Bengalis. International cricketers want to play in Eden because they do get a sizeable appreciative crowd instead of empty stands.
For Mahek, ever been to the East lady? Your comments stink of regionalism.

Sreekamur, you said "the only peopel who are intrested in cricket r people of asian or wetindian descent. The rest of the country in football crazy half of them donot even know who teh english captain is."
This is nonsense. Have you ever looked around an English Test/ODI crowd? Of course football is a massive sport here. I'm a football fan as well as cricket. The England cricket team has fantastic support home and away. I think you'll find they are nearly all white. Use your eyes and you'll see this.

As someone else pointed out previously, Eden Gardens not getting a test has more to do with the BCCI/CAB (Pawar/Dalmiya) dispute than the BCCI/ECB dispute. If at some future date Dalmiya regains control over the BCCI (stranger things have happened) then every series will see at least one game played at Eden.
As for Ahmedabad - its a pretty boring place, but definitely not as bad as Kanpur. The food choices are pretty decent actually, and getting booze is not all that difficult. In fact, hotels do serve booze to foreigners, and for everyone else there are the friendly neighborhood bootleggers. Not too much variety though - you might have to develop a liking for whiskey. I remember beer was damned difficult to get - the volume/price ratio made it less profitable to smuggle in.

I too agree with you. Eden Gardens is a beautiful ground..and yes you do have a feel of history there which you won't get at Ahmadabad. We do need to have more games at Eden Gardens. The only time I was in Eden Gardens was when Mike Gatting made a very boring 90 .. guess in 1993 ..still there was decent crowd. More than crowd, it feels like a place where 'proper' cricket needs to be played. But can't vouch for the infrastructure, recent IPL matches had problems with lights; so something els might affect the tests - local admin is not good.

There is no denying the atmosphere at the Eden is electric, something you guys have completely missed in my post. But apart from that? The stands aren't covered, they don't have seats. This isn't the 1970s, but then Bengal is still living in that age under the rule of Comrades. Good on you guys.

FYI, I have been to Kolkata and it was a rather forgettable experience. I was at the India-Pakistan game there last year and guess what, the stadium wasn't even close to being full.

Once again, I would rather have a city where the women feel safe than one where they get heckled by drunkards on the streets.

last i heard mr boycot complaining about ticket prices for test match in england. was it $100/day something? i dont know but that was way too much. 5day pass was local association (Vidarbha for nagpur) idea.
Most (not all) makes fun of local fans,trafic,corruption,flight delays, pitch condition, mosquitos etc. I rather say thanks but dont come because that is india and we can not change that because BCCI has started making tonns of money.
if you want just full stands,booze etc buy IPL ticket come watch and go. rajkot, guwahati dont hace IPL teams and for them these ODIs means lot.
You guys should thanks ppl for coming b'se who thinks Ind/England is competitive series?
Every england writer/ex player saying there wont be dravid,gangs, SRT etc. I dont think they knows that dravid and gangs were dropped from ODIs long time ago.

Jay writes:
"So please do stop moaning and get on enjoying and get a bit culturally savvy rather than looking for English comforts in india. When in rome do as the romans do or dont travel,Sorry had to get it out for you guys moan a lot."
I think you're missing the point, Jay. This has nothing to do with wanting "English comforts" as you put it. I gather the stadium in Motera (Ahmedabad) has had a big makeover since we were last there, so if it was English comforts the fans were after, there's arguably more in the way of comforts in Motera than in Eden Gardens, as has already been pointed out by one of the Indian fans. The reason England fans want to go to Eden Gardens is not because of the facilities, but because it's special - in the same way Lord's is special. How would India and its players and fans react, I wonder, if they had three consecutive Test series in England without a single match at Lord's? Probably with the same disappointment that England fans are expressing now.

It's a pity about Eden Gardens, but it is being renovated.

Mahek, you really made me laugh. Dare I suggest that the only reason Ahmedabad got the match is to appease perhaps the very noble citizens of Ahmedabad - you know, those gentle souls who like nothing better than to sully India's image abroad by engaging in riots. This is just the BCCI's way of throwing scraps in your direction so that future Irfan Pathans don't get caught in, and lost through, Ahmedabad 2002 style 'hospitable' behavior. People in glasses houses should not throw stones at others.

I would prefer Kanpur to Ahmedabad, but only because I like cities in which Indians treat Indians with respect (as opposed to killing them).

I am curious if anyone knows where to buy tickets for the Mumbai test match from. I suppose there must be a way to buy them online but I don't see it anywhere. Pointers would be appreciated.

I have to say I agree with Duncan. All you have to do is look at test match attendance in India and England.

To be honest, watching a test match in England is a far more joyful experience.

jit

You can complain about Bristol all you want but at least India get to play at Lord's every time they tour. We'd love to play at the Lord's of Asia but it's just not happening. Maybe in future the ECB should play hardball and remove Lord's from India's next few tours here? It's better suited for the bigger series against Australia and South Africa.

Sadly the FTP and Christmas have foiled a longer than two match test series. Maybe with more time Eden Gardens could have been a possibility.

yes gotta agree with you. unfortunately in india, politics determines which cities get to host test matches. those with strong state cricket associations are able to apply more pressure to get more matches. thats why places like bangalore (where india always loses), mohali (pitch helps seam as opposed to spin, and it never draws a crowd), and other mediocre venues get lots of tests, whilst more deserving venues like chennai and kolkata miss out frequently.

BCCI to hold test/oned-ay matches at different statdium based on % of occupancy and not on rotation basis. Why Nagpur is having test for this series, didn't Aus/India played recently? Hardly few hundred people were in the stadium. And, England stop complaining, stay out of it, just play cricket

Mumbaikar here. I'd never go to Ahmedabad to see a Test even if someone paid me to go there. Only thing I like about Ahmedabad is the Gandhi ashram.I apologise to cricket fans from other countries for having to endure BCCIs ridiculous policies. Especially to the English- the BBCI just want to give your Board a hard time. They get some sadistic pleasure out of it. In any case Brabourne & Wankhede are the two best stadia in India. No one more passionate about cricket than a Mumbaikar..Apparently Yuvraj Singh was not happy with us during the IPL, but who cares..

Ultimately, this IS a whinge and based essentially on the booze deprivation. Rest of it is poppycock.

I would like to totally disagree with the author over here. I am a very proud INDIAN and I live in Australia since the last 5 years and the author of this article is just another whinging POM (as they say here). Why do you guys always keep whinging about everything in life? Ahd being a dry city..... is that a life threatening issue? It will be good for ur health if u wont drink for 4-5 days (doesnt matter if it due to the drinks not being available). Being a vegetarian in diet, I have never complained that McDonalds n Burger King dnt have more varieties in vegetarian burger over here as they have in Ahmedabad. The point is tat it wont work here so its not needed n I happily accept tat so y can't u accept tat there r no drinks in ahd.... to all other Indian's who have agreed with him could I please ask u 2 be united n support ur own country. There r good n bad things abt all countries in the world, no one is a saint. Be proud of wat u r n wat u have.

even if edan gardens is having renovations done, what bright spark decided to do it when 2 of the biggest drawing cricket teams were due to tour??? espechally with only sri lanka due to tour next year on the FTP! the MCG had renovations done for the commonwealth games the other year and it still hosted a test. the rotation policy is out of wack with ahmedabad hosting south africa already this year! and sreekumar england wanted 3 tests, bcci went with 2!

India won't be the #1 test playing nation until they play more Tests (unless the ICC/BCCI fiddles the figures). Yes, the home team should have the right to arrange whatever itinerary they want - after all it's called HOME advantage (West Indies to visit in May anyone?) but to have 7 ODIs and only 2 Tests is vulgar, insulting and terribly short-term and money-driven. It's not even as if we're even any good at ODIs (one storming series against the Saffers excepted) so it all comes down to the money men at the BCCI drooling over filling stadia with passionate maniacs whipped into a fervour watching Dhoni et al cane a plodding English attack all over the ground. 5 ODI/3 Tests would have been fairer, I'd prefer 3 and 4 personally, but that ain't gonna happen ... O my Fourth Test and my Fifth Test long ago!

A true cricket lover will play and watch cricket anywhere in the world . If you guys want to watch cricket then dont mourn about places and just enjoy the game.
For all those who wants to travel india and witness its beauty and diversity should plan it properly adn check indian tourism. BCCI is for cricket and INDIAN TOURISM is for tours. Do not mix both unless your objective is tourism and not cricket . Its a cricket tour not a adventure tour!
Dont mix pizza with curry .
To the FANS , watch cricket chear for the teams and do sightseeing.
As for the " DRY STATE" well i am pretty sure beef is banned in india so why not start a thread on FOOD MOURNING NOW ?
Humans are born to mourn , its natural.

As a indian student in uk since 4 yrs , i can say that its a football crazy country but certainly there are enough cricket fans in uk then some of you think.
Enjoy cricket and again if you want to see india then you need more than just cricket ...
Cheers!

I can sympathize with you. Ahmedabad as a city can look very unexciting But surprisingly in the state of Gujarat there are some very exotic places which have not developed because it being a dry state.
However, foreigners, upon showing their passports, can buy alcohol at most decent hotels.

Let me list a few places in Gujarat which might not seem exciting from a distance, but are truly wonderful.
1 Sasan Geer (The only site in the world where the Asiatic lion can be seen)
2 Runn of Kutcch (One of the most unnoticed tourist destination but has wonderful beaches, white desert and wild life. Wonderful handicraft is an added advantage.)
3 Dholaveera and Lothal (contemporary archeological sites of the Indus valley civilization)
4 If you are into Architacture, you should visit some mosques in Ahmedabad. (Sidi Syed ni Jaali etc.)
5 Nal Sarovar (It being winter, Siberean birds can be seen there, don't know if its a bit early.)

If I were you, would have gone to Kutcch between 2 test matches

This is about Vadodara(Baroda). I was there for India WI match in Jan 07. I bought the most expensive ticket a non member could buy and yet the stands didn't have access to a proper restroom/bathroom. It was pathetic. No trash cans, no cleaning crew. Kiran More was the in charge at that time and it was a pathetic display of affairs. Anything that is not shown on TV is left unattended with utter contempt. This is what the incompetent Cricket administrators in India do.

I grew up in Calcutta and had the opportunity to watch several matches at the Eden Gardens including 2 of the best test matches ever played (Ind-Pak 1999 and Ind-Aus 2001). Truly, there are very venues in sport which would have an atmosphere like the Eden when India is fielding and the bowlers are on top. (Harbhajan's hat-trick,Srinath reducing Pak to 26/6, that last session against Australia etc.)

However, the facilities for spectators on the ground are nothing to write home about and in fact are deteriorating even more.So, unless you have a seat at the club-house you might feel a bit short-changed.

I felt exactly the same as Paul Winslow when I saw that once again Eden has been left out. Less said about Mahek the better! Any person who can say the weather in Ahmedabad is better than any place on Earth is surely from a different planet! And there's no point in criticising Calcutta or its people. That's short-sighted and regional to the limit. I was at the Eden test, India vs Pak 1999 where Shoaib induced a Sachin run-out and incurred the ire of the entire stadium. At least Indians need to stop this ugly regionalism that's tearing our country apart. You should be proud of venues like EG and cities like Cal. Same with Ahmedabad. But clearly there's no BBCI rotation here: SA played in Ahmedabad in April. The last test in Eden was Pak a year ago. It is clearly a bias by the present board that wants to exclude EG because of Dalmiya. That's why even the World Cup will at best get a quarter-final in Cal with venues for the opening ceremony, semis and finals already fixed. God save Eden!

Hi fellow Indians, enough of regionalism please. Please do not sensationalise these small issues out of proportion ( that comment on Kolkata is terrible and totally senseless ).
Going into cricket, I always felt that the test matches should be played on chennai,mumbai,bangalore,calcutta and delhi.
The other venues can take the ODIs.
Thats my point of view and I hope I had not drawn any controversy in my view.

I'm sure the Aussies are overjoyed at the thought of visiting Cardiff next summer....

Well, if covered seats and good facilites would ensure a large number of spectators, then, Nagpur should have been a full house.

I personally think that it's a throwback to the cricketing passion of the Kolkatan audience that they continue packing the grounds in hordes even in spite of such bad facilites.

Yes, please improve the facilites, but stop short-changing the spectators. Prices should be kept down, maybe have prices of 150-100 for one day's play.

And again Mahek's comment of "women and sisters being molested by drunkards" is in very bad taste. Kolkata has a reputation of being one of the safest cities and we are proud to uphold that. However, could I venture to say that maybe even Ahmedabad has a few minor problems of its own?

This is for Mahek.
Mate - if you indeed are telling the truth (which I seriously doubt), then please - I insist you stay out of Calcutta. It is THE most hospitable city in India - maybe Bangalore and Madras will give it a run for its money, but certainly not Amdavad !!! Where else would you find good food at prices so cheap ? Also, if you speak of culture and hospitality, you must be the only one who found Calcutta inhospitable - maybe you met the very few inhospitable people in the city.
And as so the comment about sisters and daughters being molested - check the crime rates mate - Amdavad is in the top 10 - Doesn't help when you've got crazy guys running around with tridents in their hands and sticking 'em into people - yeah ?
Cheers

Funny how people keep going back to the 2002 riots and talk like that is how the city is. I wonder how many of you have even been to the city. It's so easy to form opinions based on the NDTVs and CNN-IBNs, why bother to find out when you have a spicy story to fall back on? The people of Ahmedabad aren't proud of 2002, but you wouldn't know it because you don't care to.

And you're right about Kolkata being in the same league as Chennai. Having stayed there for a few months, I can safely say it's even more inhospitable than Kolkata. Bangalore is better.

Lastly, how are you going to have a test at the Eden when it is under renovation? It seems all you guys have missed this point.

Well well !! Enough of Mahek bashing.. The point is if the quality of cricket played between the two teams is not good then a good venue is not enough to raise people's interest. Every place and every ground has its own charm and it depends upon the beholder to discover it. Lets hope to see some tough battles on the field..

In Pakistan, and New Zealand, tickets are distributed freely when there is no hope for a full stadium. In India, if perhaps one finds batting boring, in a particular session, there is always the anticipation that Flintoff or Tendulkar may bat, later. Tickets may then be purchased at a brisk clip, even if it is at tea time. The most inexpensive tickets are not very comfortable, but when I had the chance to view Test matches, at Kolkata, they were really inexpensive. I did see the pricing, on some of those tickets. I wonder, is it thought of better to invest in a Test Match ticket, today, rather than on a multiplex cinema ticket? It is really worth the money spent, on a Test Match spectator's ticket, because the crowd is as animated as the players on the pitch, perhaps even more so. There is a sense of belonging on the cricket stadium, among the spectators, which is absent in a multiplex cinema theater. This is very much in evidence at the Eden Garden's Kolkata.

Great article and great comments ! Except , everyone seems to go by the words and not by the spirit. The article was writte in good spirit - i dont expect an outsider to know any better .

can anyone help me. I want to see a live game of cricket over the next 2 weeks I am travelling in Goa and would love to see a game, preferable a decent standard. Would travel for something good. Are there any England games going on, or supporters touring sides playing? All ideas accepted.

While it is true that Ahemadabad as a city is very hard to get excited about, there is a lot in the neighbouring states that is easier to get to from Ahemadabad. Prime example being that of Udaipur and Jaipur in Rajasthan. It is also easy to get on the fast Delhi-Bombay western railway line. If one sticks to exploring western India then its not a bad tour itenary.

NDTV or not, a lot of us have had to defend our religion and nation because of Gujarati "Indian" "Hindus", so I am sure you can understand our utter disgust at being lectured on how drunkards molest women in Kolkata. The very sober citizens of Ahmedabad did a lot worse than just molesting women. A 'natural' reaction - wasn't that how you lot described it?

Stick to cricket, pseudo-Indian. Taking potshots at citizens of other cities is a bad idea if you are from a city of, how should I put it - people who killed Indian citizens.

Eden Gardens is rightly regarded as one of THE venues of international cricket. Ahmedabad will never rise to that category. Ever. You can build the swankiest stadium there and it won't change a thing. You can build fancy stadiums in the middle of the Thar Desert, but cities with character (Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai) will always be favored over upstart cities like Ahmedabad.

Apologies to Paul. We Indians are fed up with Gujerati self-righteousness.

This is in response to the post by Mahek. I believe you are from Gujrat. I don't understand what you mean by Kolkata being a hell-hole. Assholes like you are never welcome in the city of joy. So keep killing muslims and christians along with your VHP and Bajrang Dal bosses , but shut up that huge hole on your face and stop making demented comments on other states and cities.

BCCI is being administered by people who should never be administering anything. From venues to ICL to regionalism, it’s a shame. About not getting beer in pubs, just live with it, it’s the local policy and rule and learn to respect that. It is not going to kill you if you don’t drink and party for couple of days. Because of that a cricket game should not be allowed there is complete nonsense. Learn to enjoy different part of the country and different culture rather than same venues same crowd all the time. I do agree, BCCI not doing anythign to pull crowds is a crime and inface any venues not pulling crowds should be penalised. Make it a performance thing, for sure, they will find people to watch cricket. Not pulling crowd is simply bad administration and bad policies, not that, those people are not interested to watch.

We in the Caribbean would describe this thread as "a barrel of crabs". Everyone pulling each other back down, so that no one succeeds. Schadenfreude has never been so much fun!

Distilled: Remember what started the 2002 riots. So stop being a pseudo yourself. If you want to discuss history remember Calcutta and 1946 riots.
So get off the history and concentrate on the issue being discussed.

I understand your despair about the Eden, they might just've scheduled a game there this time 'round if not for the renovations.

By the way, nice contest going on here: Mahek vs Rest of the World, seems far more interesting than 7 boring ODI's of England being thrashed out of sight. I'm going to make myself some popcorn.

I understand your despair about the Eden, they might just've scheduled a game there this time 'round if not for the renovations.

By the way, nice contest going on here: Mahek vs Rest of the World, seems far more interesting than 7 boring ODI's of England being thrashed out of sight. I'm going to make myself some popcorn.

Stop whining. England's going to lose both Tests and most of the ODIs anyway. So, don't watch.

About scrapping Lords' from India's next tour to England: I would be delighted if that happened. We have a very poor record at that ground anyway.

Re Eden Gardens: Every year, we play around 5-6 home tests on average (it has been 9 this year, but that is more than it usually is), and they should be played at the major test grounds, Mumbai, Banglore, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata. You can shuffle ODIs all you want (as long as we get one ODI in Mumbai)

I am British asian living in Australia,on Mr sree kumar's comments he has got insufficent knowledge to understand the English game.When india tour England next ECB should give tests at Taunton and Northamton, these are far better than Mumbai or calcutta.

To those who have brought in the issue of riots in here. Riots have taken place in Mumbai and Kolkata too. Don’t abuse a community just because you’re jealous of their success. For that matter, riots took place in London as well (the infamous Brixton riots). And painfully, they happen in so many major cities in the world. But none of those cities have stopped hosting sporting events. Why are some self-hating, self-berating people bringing that irrelevant issue in this debate? This is a discussion about cricket. If you want to discuss riots, go to another political debate.

Indians, don’t bend backwards to accommodate these outlandish arguments. Visit Eng to see how they never change themselves for others.

It’s as insulting as demanding Eng-Ind matches in England be played only where there are plenty of cows & vegetarian restaurants. West Indian fans might argue England-WI matches in England are so tedious as English grounds don’t allow live music orchestra, like in the WI. Pakistani fans may ridicule English grounds because no facilities for Islamic prayers!

Only visit a foreign country if you can respect her culture. Don’t go there just to demean them. Bars/nightclubs are Western things, not Eastern. Average middle-class Indians see these as vices. Your comments would offend & infuriate many Indians.

England fans should realise England is fast slipping into cricketing insignificance. Hence the non-inclusion of venues like Eden Gardens. Even if Dalmiya headed the BCCI, he might have given Eden Gardens a match against Australia or SA, but not Eng

I am sorry but I do not believe this rotational policy. Ahmedabad was used earlier this year against SA (I saw this on TV), yet Eden Gardens hasn't been used since then. I went to Ahmedabad in 2001 and couldn't be bothered with this tour, and yes it is the most boring place I have ever been. I loved Mohali and Chandigarh though. I would love to see Eden Gardens, Chennai or Bangalore but we are excluded. Would India except a Test Series at Glamorgan Durham and Headingley?

While your ire at being denied a match at The Eden is understandable, I don really understand what all the fuss about Ahmedabad is about. Motera is one of the finest venues in India. Both in terms of spectator comfort as well as playing conditions. The stadium is fully seated, sheltered and provides a great viewing from any angle. Not quite the features one would associate with an Indian stadium. Secondly, Ahmedabad is a fine city of genial, amiable people who love their cricket. Its not exactly a city a tourist would rank highly in his itinerary (is more of an industrial town), but still is a great place to visit and enjoy. Eden has a great legacy and certainly provides an electric cricketing environment, but that should not undermine the good work being done at other venues in India. In fact Eng should consider themselves lucky to have got one of the best venues in India and not some rickety maidan like Green Park in Kanpur which is a joke for an international test venue.