BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla responded to widespread criticism over Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium after two days of the ongoing Test match between India and Bangladesh were called off due to rain and wet outfield.

Many fans argued that the drainage facility at the venue was substandard and it doesn’t deserve to host a Test match. In fact, some suggested that the Indian team should limit it’s Test centres to just five cities, as suggested by former skipper Virat Kohli in 2019.

However, Shukla believes the venue in Kanpur cannot be deprived of hosting five-day games and the ground is set to witness upgrades in its infrastructure as well.

“Well, criticism is one thing which we are used to being in the administration of BCCI in cricket. But everything is being criticized. When we were not giving matches to Kanpur then also I was being criticised. Now we are giving the match and I am being criticized… why it has been given to Kanpur,” Shukla said as quoted by PTI.

Shukla mentioned that the Green Park Stadium remains a historic venue and given its 80-year history, India’s Test matches must be conducted here.

“This ground is around 80 years old. It is our heritage ground. If you remember it used to be a permanent Test centre. So the whole idea was to have Test matches here,” he commented.

“This is the first time in 80 years that it has rained so much that we were not able to host the match for two days. But the history suggests that no match has been abandoned here. There are many venues in the world where because of rain, matches were abandoned,” he added.

Moreover, Rajeev Shukla revealed that plans are in place to upgrade the stadium with modern facilities.

“I don’t think there should be a hue and cry because when this ground was being built, the stadium was being built, then those technologies were not available. Now technologies are available,” Shukla said.

“Like in our Lucknow stadium, we have got that technology. And in Varanasi, we are building another stadium. There we have high-tech, modern technology to take away the water. Here also we are planning,” he further stated.

Reacting to Kohli’s suggestion of having five Test centres akin to Australia and England, Shukla said Kanpur is one such venue before he brought up the topic of rotation policy.

“Kanpur was also one of them. So, it’s a permanent Test centre. Then we have to keep other aspects also in mind. Second is our rotation policy. So, we have to go by the rotation policy,” he commented.

“And three, India has now got a lot many venues. We have got maximum number of venues which Australia and other countries don’t have. And we have to provide opportunity to all of them,” he added.

(With PTI Inputs)