Under Immense Pressure from the Indian cricket fan, the Punjab Cricket Association has allowed 50 percent capacity of fans to attend the 100th Test which Virat Kohli will play against Sri Lanka.
Follow Us
It is perhaps the victory of people’s power in cricket. Initially, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) had said no fans would be allowed in Mohali for the Sri Lanka Test due to the coronavirus situation. The match is special as it will be Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match. The announcement by the PCA did not go down well with the fans, with many saying the BCCI had insulted Virat Kohli. But, in a dramatic step-down, the PCA along with the BCCI has agreed to allow fans into the stadium for the special occasion.
In a statement released by BCCI, secretary Jay Shah stated that the decision was taken after consulting with various stakeholders. “While we started off the West Indies Tour of India behind closed doors, the encouraging dip in COVID-19 cases allowed the hosting associations to permit crowds. Based on the advisories by the State Health Authorities fans were able to witness the games in Kolkata and Dharamsala. UPCA had Lucknow T20I without crowds owing to polling a day before the match,” Jay Shah said.
Read More – Virat Kohli Puts on a Spectacle on Republic Day in Adelaide
The decision to keep the Test match behind closed doors actually lacked a bit of common sense. The Dharamshala T20Is saw capacity crowds while fans were expected to be allowed even in the Bangalore Day-Night Test. But, what possibly would have perplexed the Mohali situation was the crowd in a way.
Mohali has not seen many crowds in Test matches. At one point in time, the BCCI had mulled whether to play Test matches at the Mohali stadium due to low crowds. Be it matches against England, Australia, or any other country, crowds have not taken to Test cricket kindly in Mohali.
Sri Lanka has played only once in Mohali and that was in 1997. They managed to draw the Test, with centuries from Marvan Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva ensuring Sri Lanka would not lose. India has lost only once in Mohali and that was in the very first Test in 1994 against the West Indies. The 243-run loss remains India’s only loss at the PCA stadium.
Sri Lanka were whitewashed 3-0 by India and this prolonged their agony, having earlier lost 1-4 to Australia. India has been the ultimate bogey team for Sri Lanka. The Lankan side has never won a Test or series in India. They will be hoping that they can end the jinx this time in the two-Test series.
