Keenan Stadium Jamshedpur: The Yesteryear Ground Standing Alone in Dark

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India are taking on England in the 4th Test of the five-match series in Ranchi. The JSCA Stadium in the capital city of Jharkhand is one of the most aesthetically beautiful cricket grounds in the world.

The lush green slope within the stadium, and the world-class facilities, make it one of the top destinations to play cricket and it has become the new abode of the Indian team in the state. But during the early years of this century, namely in the 2000s, the stadium in Ranchi didn't even exist.

Just around 120 km south of Ranchi, the city of Jamshedpur lies. Jamshedpur, also known as Tatanagar, is the ancestral abode of the Tata Family, perhaps the biggest business tycoon this country has ever seen.

It is the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur, which used to host the international matches for India. The once-coveted stadium hosted six ODI matches between 1983 to 2005, but hasn't hosted an international match since.

MyKhel took a closer look at the Keenan Stadium on the eve of the Ranchi Test and as we had a look around, the colossal structure remained standing in solitude.

There is a JSCA office along with the stadium but it is owned by Tata. The condition of the stadium has deteriorated, and a large part of the stands have been decimated. The Naoroji Pavilion is still there, but other amenities are modest. Each and every torn-down pillar depicts the sad demise of the stadium, which saw the likes of Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge gracing the grass. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly also scored a century against South Africa at this stadium back in 2000. It was a match between India and Pakistan in 2005 which was the swansong of this stadium, and the general feeling is that the people wanted more.

"It feels bad that Ranchi is seeing big cricket stars but there is no one coming ever to Jamshedpur. We had our own Keenan but this is gone" a fan said outside the stadium.

MyKhel also talked with Bhailo Charan Sahoo, the pitch curator at the Keenan Stadium, who says the Ranji matches and other domestic matches take place here. But the taste of international cricket is a memory of yesteryear for them.

"The stadium is owned by Tata Steel. There won't be any international matches ever here until Tata decides to build it again. The Jharkhand team plays the Ranji matches and the other domestic matches [CK Nayudu, Mushtaq Ali etc] take place at this stadium," Sahoo said, who is associated with Keenan Stadium for 25 years.

MyKhel also had the privilege to have a look at the pitch from a moderate distance and the condition looks good. Jharkhand just completed their Ranji Trophy campaign and Jharkhand stalwart Saurabh Tiwary also retired at his home ground.

But amid these small-scale victories, the people of Jamshedpur still long for an international stadium. Keenan Stadium is likely to be a memory of the past, but it is to be seen whether the city will get a replacement for it.

The ever-growing debate about cricket's monopoly in India is a narrative, but in the case of Keenan, the situation has a contrasting effect. Just beside one of the broken stands, sits the JRD Tata Sports Complex. ISL club Jamshedpur FC plays here and as they hosted East Bengal in an ISL match, the Furnace, as they name the stadium, was buzzing with deafening decibels.

As we walked past the Keenan Stadium at night, the Furnace was bright and beaming. Keenan, so near yet so far, sleeping unguarded, unfurnished and perhaps dying with an unfulfilled wish.

Retrogressive Metamorphosis is a type of degenerative change in an animal's body. It is seen in Axolotl Larvae, where the larva of the animal is more advanced compared to the adult. If we compare Keenan with time, it feels like the same.