BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla on Monday said that the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) is in talks with the state government to make the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur technologically more viable.
The decision was forced after the ongoing second Test between India and Bangladesh put the poor facilities at the stadium in focus.
Ahead of the match, the ‘Balcony C’ of the stadium was deemed dangerous, with reports suggesting that around half the capacity of the full stand was opened for the spectators while Days 2 and 3 of the Test were marred due to wet outfield.
Notably, there was a drizzle in patches, on Saturday while no rain affected the venue on Sunday. But not a single ball was bowled on Day 3 due to the wet outfield conditions.
To which, Shukla said, “Sometimes it happens, though we all pray to Lord Indra, that it should not rain, but, you know, it happens. And it happens throughout the world. So, why unnecessarily Kanpur and Green Park are being blamed for something which is in nature’s hands?”
“This is the first time in 80 years that it has rained so much that we were not able to host the match for two days. But history suggests that no match has been abandoned here. There are lot many venues in the world where because of the rains, matches have been abandoned. Because when this ground was being built, stadium was being built, then those technologies were not available.
“Now technologies are available. Like in our Lucknow stadium, we have got that technology. And in Varanasi, we are building another stadium. There we have high-tech, modern technology to take away the water.
“Today I had a discussion with administration on how we can develop this system by which the rainy water can immediately be soaked. Immediately after coming here (Green Park), I had a discussion with the authorities and they are also on the same page and I think we will be able to improve the conditions here shortly. We will get some time to improve the conditions of the ground and that work will be picked up. The moment I came here, I had a long discussion with government officials because this stadium belongs to government. We are in agreement with them. So, now for that, ground has to be dug up, new technology has to be applied and everything has to be done.”
The upgraded Ekana Stadium in Lucknow is UPCA’s most preferred venue while Kanpur is hosting the only second Test in last eight years, putting the venue’s inability to host matches into criticism.
However, Shukla clarified that due to rotation policy, only a limited matches are hosted at the venue.
