India Set To Have Its First-Ever Indoor Cricket Stadium In Rajkot

There are very few sports in the world which are affected by weather conditions as much as cricket. Even a slight drizzle is more than enough to ruin a game of cricket. While the cricket officials can do very little about weather, one way to minimise its impact is to get an indoor stadium and Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) has opted for the second option.

After creating a replica of the Lord’s Cricket Ground’s media box here, the SCA is getting ready to build the country’s first cricket stadium with a roof, according to mid-day. With the Gujarat Cricket Association building the world’s largest cricket stadium with a capacity of over one lakh in Ahmedabad, authorities at the SCA Stadium are mulling an all-weather-proof cricket stadium.

The SCA started their planning after an erratic monsoon forced many matches to be washed out across the country in the last few seasons. SCA president Jaydev Shah revealed that the association has already checked on a number of roofs and is in talks with a French company for the entire project.

“Since the monsoons here are very unpredictable, we have seen a lot of matches—domestic and internationals—getting washed out. So, we had a look at the various kinds of roofs we can go in for. One is a retractable one [like the one at Wimbledon] and the other is a permanent roof, resembling a dome. We are working on the feasibility of both.

“It’s not that we want a roof just for the sake of it or to be different from others. This will be a very carefully taken decision as the cost involved is huge. We must also take into account hosting maximum number of international matches here to make it a feasible investment. Then there are various factors like the placement of floodlights, etc that need to be considered as well. It’s a French company that we are in talks with,” Jaydev Shah told the news outlet.

Shah, a former Saurashtra Ranji Trophy captain, also revealed that a new 17-acre plot adjoining the present stadium had been purchased by SCA. He revealed that the association is planning to build another stadium.

“We are planning to build a new stadium there. It will be a multipurpose stadium with a capacity of around 15,000 to 20,000. Some are suggesting that we have the roof on that stadium, while others feel we should have a roof on the existing stadium. We are working on the cost factor for both stadiums. As an experiment, we will first try and build a dome roof over the 25 practice pitches [located behind the main ground]. We have to also consider how the pitch and grass would behave in the absence of direct sunlight,” he said.

There is still no dedicated cricket stadium with a roof in any part of the world. In the past, Australia hosted ODI games in indoor stadium but that was not a dedicated cricket stadium. In 2000, Australia hosted South Africa at the Docklands Stadium which is headquarters for Australian Rules football.

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