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India Vs South Africa: Low attendance, SA players unhappy with hotel in Ranchi: JSCA faces challenge on two fronts

Only 1500 tickets have been sold for the third Test between India and South Africa so far. Although Ranchi is going to host a Test match after a gap of two years. It will be only the second Test match to be held at this venue.

India Vs South Africa: Low attendance, SA players unhappy with hotel in Ranchi: JSCA faces challenge on two fronts

Ranchi, Oct 18: The third and final Test match between India and South Africa at Jharkhand Cricket Association Stadium (JSCA) in Ranchi isn't drawing much attention of cricket enthusiasts in the city.

As per reports, only 1500 tickets have been sold for the third Test so far although Ranchi is going to host a Test match after a gap of two years. It will be only the second Test match to be held at this venue but there are certainly not many takers for the match. The stadium has a seating capacity of good 39,000 but the lack of interest amongst spectators has certainly dampened the mood of the organisers.

Ranchi is the home ground of former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who no longer plays Test cricket. Many believe that MS Dhoni's absence is one of the big reason for low attendance.

Sanjay Sahay, the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary was quoted by a Hindustan Times report as saying, "If there is any demand, it is for daily tickets in the hospitality area priced at Rs 2000," said Sahay. The daily tickets prices range from Rs 200 to Rs 2000 and the cheapest season ticket costs Rs 1000, he said.

The Indian Express quoted Nafis Khan, the new JSCA president as saying, "Next time, maybe we have to think twice before hosting a Test match. At the same time, we can't say no also. If the state associations start rejecting Test cricket, the purest form of the game would die. It's very sad to see empty stands. We have to make certain changes to the Test format."

The JSCA has, however, distributed 5000 complimentary tickets to security personnel and another 10000 tickets to schools, clubs, and academies to fill up the stands during the match.

Despite India doing well in the Test cricket and being ranked the number one side in the format, the longer format of the game isn't garnering much attention. The empty stands during international matches dampen the morale of the cricketers as well as the organisers. The administration will have to come up with some plans to draw more crowd to the stadiums in Test matches.

Meanwhile, in another embarrassment to the organisers, the South Africa cricketers are not happy with the hotel they have been stationed.

As per reports, both the teams were supposed to stay at Radisson Blue but due to some prior bookings, the hotel couldn't provide enough rooms to the visiting team. In the last minute adjustment, the organisers had to shift Protea players to Hotel Lilac but the players are not happy with the facilities there.

Earlier on Thursday, while interacting with the media after the practice session, South Africa opener Dean Elgar said, "It's a challenging tour. You get stretched as a person, you get stretched as a cricketer, I think you get to know yourself quite a lot as a person when you come to the smaller places where the hotels are maybe not as good, and you get challenged on the field."

The organisers, thus, face a dual challenge of bringing more spectators to the stadium and also try to ensure the visiting team faces no further discomfort in the hotel.

Story first published: Friday, October 18, 2019, 16:49 [IST]
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