A Dumping Ground, Under Control Of Encroachers Is Now India’s 30th Test Cricket Venue

A Dumping Ground, Under Control Of Encroachers Is Now India’s 30th Test Cricket Venue (Image Source: X.com/Twitter)

Barsapara Stadium (also known as the Assam Cricket Association Stadium) in Guwahati is staging a Test match for the first time ever. After what happened at Eden Gardens, the pitch and the new venue both are in focus now. The BCCI head curator Ashish Bhowmick is looking after the pitch and since this is home turf, his responsibility is much more.

The India -South Africa Test at Barsapara Stadium, situated on the outskirts of Guwahati and inaugurated in 2012, is a historic occasion for Assam as this the first venue in the North-East where a Test is played. The local people after watching IPL games and the ICC Women’s World Cup matches, will now watch the real stuff.

Few years back, who would have thought that Guwahati shall give BCCI its Secretary Devojit Saikia and now the city is 30th venue in India to stage a Test. Earlier the centrally located Nehru Stadium was the centre of state’s most of the sporting activity including cricket and now cricket has its own home. The Assam government has plans to make Nehru stadium a FIFA Olympic-standard football stadium.

Some facts about the Barsapara Stadium:

*The wicket is made of red earth and expected to remain firm longer.

* Capacity: 37,000

* Due to the geographical location of the state and India following a single time zone, players will experience something new. Instead of a usual Test match start of 9.30 AM, the Guwahati Test will witness a 9.00 AM start with toss at 8.30 AM.

Lunch and Tea reversed. The first break from 11.00 AM to 11.20 AM.

Lunch will be taken at 1.20 PM, and the final session will run from 2.00 PM.

Tea before Lunch has was seen in the initial day-night Tests in Australia, but probably for a day Test, it’s a new start.

* This year, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 got off to a historic start here and the opener between India and Sri Lanka was watched by 22,843 fans, a record for the most attended group stage fixture at any Women’s World Cup (Previous record: 15,935 set during the India-Pakistan ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024).

* The construction of the stadium started in 2006 (in 2004 the foundation stone was laid by the then Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi). In 2012, the stadium was inaugurated by State PHE Minister Gautom Roy, who was also the president of ACA, and thereafter hosted its first professional game – an East Zone Senior Women's Inter-State One-Day Championship match between Assam and Odisha.

*The first international match here took place in 2017, a men’s T20I between India and Australia and this marked the return of international cricket to Guwahati after seven years.

*Women’s T20Is were held here in 2019, and England were the visitors.

* The rise of Assam in cricket circles coincide with the emergence of a new talent from east, named Riyan Parag, the first male cricketer from the state to go on to play for India and his IPL side Rajasthan Royals made Guwahati their second home.

*The Stadium also hosts the Assam Cricket Association Academy.

 

 

*In 2010, the stadium was officially renamed Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cricket Stadium by the ACA to honour the renowned lyricist, musician, and filmmaker.

*An area of 59 bighas of land was allotted to ACA by the State Government and after clearing a portion from encroachers, the construction started. So, this is a story of a dumping ground, converted into a Test venue.

* Klorophyll (India) Sports Turf Technology & Construction Private Limited has constructed the main field covering approximately 16800 sq. m., which is first of its kind in the entire country, as it is 100% sand based USGA perched water table profile installed with a detailed subsoil drainage network on grid pattern. The region is subject to very heavy precipitation, so the subsoil drainage system is designed to withstand cloudburst, such that play can start within minutes of a rain stoppage.

* The main field has eight pitches on the wicket square, and there are ten pitches on a separate practice wicket area covering more than 2000 sq. m.

* In 2020 the IPL had a new venue in Guwahat and was scheduled to host two of Rajasthan Royals' home matches (against Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders), making it the first city in the north-east of India to host an IPL match. However, the IPL was shifted to Dubai during the pandemic. The IPL returned to Guwahati in 2023 and Rajasthan Royals played against Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals.

Charanpal Singh Sobti