During the early days, scoring runs in cricket wasn’t achieved as easily as it is now as in those days, batsmen having a strike rate ranging between 65-70 in ODIs were considered to be extremely aggressive batsmen. Few players like Viv Richards had a strike rate which was above 90. A score above 250 was considered to be a very solid score back in those days. In these days however, even a score of 300-320 is considered to be quite mainstream. Even scores of 400 are beginning to be quite common these days.The emergence of T20 cricket has revolutionised cricket, especially batting. Maintaining an economy rate of 6 or less is becoming tough for bowlers as they have even gone on to concede more than a 100 runs in their allotted ten overs. Flat pitches in India have very quick outfields which favours the batsmen. India have a plethora of cricket grounds where several great matches have been played. Some of the most popular Indian cricket grounds are Eden Gardens, Chepauk, Wankhede Stadium and the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, in the past couple of years, several new stadiums have been built where various domestic matches and the IPL have been played. These stadiums have the potential and standard to attain the same amount of popularity as the Eden Gardens or the Wankhede in the future. Let’s take a look at five such grounds which can become India’s new ODI destinations.#5 DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai is India’s ninth largest cricket ground in India. Established in 2008, the stadium has a cricket and a football ground and will be one of the stadiums hosting matches during the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. With a seating capacity of 55,000, the DY Patil Stadium was the home ground for the Mumbai Indians during the inaugural season of the IPL and was also the venue for the thrilling final between the now defunct Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings. It also hosted the final of IPL 2010 between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super KingsThe ground was supposed to host the 7th ODI during Australia’s tour of India in 2009 but the match was washed out. It hasn’t hosted any high profile matches since the 2011 IPL but looking at the facilities it boasts of and its quick outfield, the DY Patil Stadium should be utilized for many more matches. Provided it gets enough hosting opportunities in next year’s IPL, the DY Patil Stadium could soon host its first ever ODI and be a regular ground in ODIs held in India.
#4 JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi
Until early 2013, the Keenan Stadium at Jamshedpur was the only stadium at Jharkhand where international cricket matches. However, in the past three years, the JSCA International Stadium Complex has been the venue of a few international matches and will be expected to host many more in the future.Built within the premises of Heavy Engineering Corporation(HEC), the stadium is the home ground of the Jharkhand cricket team and has a capacity of 39,000. The first international cricket match to be played at this stadium was the third ODI between India and England in a five-match ODI series in January 2013 which India convincingly won. Since then, the stadium has only been able to host another two ODI matches between India and Australia in 2013 and between India and Sri Lanka in 2014 with the former match being abandoned. It has hosted a total of seven IPL matches with the last of them coming last year. The ground will host its fourth ODI in the India-New Zealand ODI series beginning in October.The JSCA stadium is the only stadium in the country which has hills on both sides. The ground has a fairly quick outfield where runs can be scored at a good rate. Having already been host to a few ODI matches, the JSCA stadium could well be one of India’s most popular cricket grounds in the future.
#3 SVNS International Cricket Stadium, Raipur
The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Cricket Stadium (informally known as the SVNS cricket stadium) at Raipur is the second largest stadium in India after Eden Gardens and the fourth largest in the world. It is the home ground of the Chhattisgarh cricket team. Having a seating capacity of 50,000, the stadium is located in Naya Raipur and is in close vicinity with the Raipur airport.The ground was a home venue for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 6 and hosted two of its matches, both of which were won by the Daredevils. It also hosted eight matches of the 2014 Champions League T20. With an average score of around 151 and an average run rate of 7.78 in the IPL and Champions League T20 matches it has hosted, the SNVS Stadium could be well suited for ODIs. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has held the stadium in high regard, stating it to be one of the best in the country and that it should host matches in every format. Irfan Pathan has also expressed his delight at the stadium and its facilities stating ““When opportunities are created, and such facilities are in place, there is the hope that cricketers will emerge. I hope to play again at this wonderful venue”. Although the stadium is yet to host an international match, if it gets a couple of matches in next year’s IPL, then it could well be utilized for ODIs as well.
#2 Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Also known as the Lion’s Den because it is the home ground of the Gujarat Lions, the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium at Rajkot is Gujarat’s first solar powered stadium. Having a capacity of 28,000, the stadium was established in 2008 and was initially utilized for Ranji matches only. The stadium is a part of a larger sports complex where other sports like badminton, baseball and volleyball are played.The first international match held at this stadium was in 2013 between India and England and it has since hosted another ODI featuring India and South Africa in 2015 and its first T20I between India and Australia in 2013. The ground will host its first test match this November between India and England. The stadium is the home ground of the new IPL franchise Gujarat Lions and hosted five of the team’s IPL matches. The stadium has featured many high scoring matches with 300+ scores being posted by both teams in its very first encounter. So far, the stadium has hosted only a few international matches but provided the stadium hosts the first test successfully and if it hosts IPL matches at a consistent rate, then it could well host ODI matches quite frequently.
#1 Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
The MCA proposed the building of the MCA Stadium to Hopkins Architects of London as a result of India having a humongous cricketing audience and India’s expanding impact in world cricket. Having a seating capacity of 42,000, the stadium was established in 2012 and is the home ground of the Maharashtra cricket team and the Rising Pune Supergiants in addition to being the headquarters of the Maharashtra Cricket Association.The Stadium hosted its first international match in 2012, a T20 between India and England and hosted its first ODI in 2013 between India and Australia. It will host its first test match between India and Australia in 2017. The ground has a fairly quick outfield which has favoured the batsmen heavily as seen in this year’s IPL. The MCA Stadium has been an excellent ground so far and given the standards it has maintained since its inauguration, it deserves the opportunity to host more and more ODIs in the near future.
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