"Not about love for game..."- Former India star gives massive claim on crowd attendance during IND vs WI Ahmedabad Test

The low attendance of the fans during the opening Test of the two-match series against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad was a concern for the BCCI. Many reckoned that the opening day was empty, perhaps due to Dusshera, but the numbers didn’t rise for the rest of the contest.

The former Indian opening batter, Aakash Chopra, pointed out that the Ahmedabad stadium didn’t get filled like the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur was filled for the unofficial ODI between India A and Australia A. Chopra suggested that the board should host more pink-ball games and use the smaller cities like Indore, Guwahati, and Ranchi.

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“Take Test matches to smaller centers. If you don't want a tier system, that's fine, but if it is important, go to smaller centers. Play in Guwahati, Ranchi, or Indore, and the stadium will be full. Or play a pink-ball Test, as it will add some excitement because, in this form and shape, it is not about the love for the game.” Chopra expressed during a recent Instagram video.

Aakash Chopra suggests pink-ball Tests' increment for better crowd attendance in Tests

Aakash Chopra highlighted that because Ahmedabad always hosts high-profile games like the World Cup final or the IPL final, the fans were not interested in coming to the ground to see the West Indies, who are no longer a strong side in the longest format.

“People are coming to watch matches; they came to Kanpur for India A's match, they came to Delhi for a Ranji Trophy match, so they will come here too. But the chances of people coming to watch in Ahmedabad, no, there are multiple reasons. The gap between India and the West Indies is very big. Coming to watch the West Indies play seems like a laborious task. The other thing, look at the size of the stadium.” The former opener addressed.

“It has a capacity of 1,32,000. So, even if 10-15 thousand fans come, it still looks empty. Ahmedabad hosts so many big-ticket matches like the IPL final and the World Cup final, and whatnot. So, there isn't any appetite for a low-key contest like this.” Aakash Chopra concluded.