It wasn’t a Ranji Trophy match, but a major Test opener, an international match that should have drawn a large crowd, but Ahmedabad’s 132,000-seat stadium was disturbingly empty for the first Test between India and West Indies.
Even Jasprit Bumrah’s fine spell and Mohammed Siraj’s blazing 4/40, which bundled the West Indies out for 162, were unable to improve the stale atmosphere.
The decision to play a lower-profile series opener at Ahmedabad has reignited the controversy around the suitability of India’s largest stadium for Test cricket. Although the stadium is ideal for high-stakes Twenty20 Internationals and major matches, fans claimed that holding a Test match against the West Indies left the stands looking empty.
“If we had to play a lower tier team, we should have ideally played them in a stadium that people want to watch Test Cricket. Virat’s suggestion of having fixed test venues should be looked at. Ahmedabad is the country’s biggest stadium, and to host a lower tier team at such a big ground makes it look empty. Ahmedabad is good for T20 marquee contests. Not for tests, even against a marquee team. Tests should be played with a view of tourism and ease of connectivity. Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Delhi, Dharamsala and Vizag can be your fixed test centres ,” one cricket fan posted on X.
“It’s a national holiday and not even 5% of the stadium is filled up in Ahmedabad. And worse part, this is right after India played a historic Test series in England,” posted another fan.
Another fan posted, “This empty stadium says it all. And people wonder why cricket thrives in Australia and England… the atmosphere here is electric. Compare that to today’s India vs West Indies Test… feels like a practice game.”
Yet another fan posted, “This is not Ranji match, this is an International match between India vs West Indies at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahemdabad…No Crowds without Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma in Test Cricket.”
Since 2000, the BCCI has hosted Tests across 18 venues, but debate persists on whether the format should be restricted to fewer centres. Back in 2019, Virat Kohli had voiced support for limiting Test venues.
“We should have five Test centres, period. I agree state associations and rotation and giving games and all that is fine for T20 and one-day cricket, but Test cricket-teams coming to India should know, ‘we’re going to play at these five centres, these are the pitches we’re going to expect, these are the kind of people that will come to watch’,” Kohli had said.
The BCCI allocates fixtures for bilateral series through an informal rotation system designed to keep state associations satisfied, with weather conditions also playing a key role in deciding venues. By contrast, in the 21st century, countries like Australia and England have restricted their Test matches to just 10 and 9 grounds, respectively.
