Vizag to host India-West Indies ODI match on October 24

‘Only 10% of the tickets will be issued as complimentary passes’

A file photo of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in action during an ODI between India and Sri Lanka at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium in December last year.

Cricket enthusiasts in the city can brace up for some more action from the ‘Men in Blue’ as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that the second Paytm ODI to be played between India and West Indies will be organised at Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium here on October 24.

The stadium will host an onedayer after a gap of almost a year.

Indore loses it to city

However, it is learnt that Visakhapatnam was not in the scheme of things so far the Paytm ODI series was concerned and the match scheduled in the city now was supposed to be held at Indore’s Holkar Cricket Stadium. The MP Cricket Association apparently had some disagreement with the Committee of Administrators (COA), which has been formed to implement the Justice Lodha Committee recommendations and reforms.

The last international ODI played in Visakhapatnam was on December 17 last year when the Team India took on Sri Lanka. That match turned out to be an one-sided fight as the Lankan team was bundled out for 215 in 45 overs and the Man in Blue achieved teh target in just 32 overs, with the southpaw Shikar Dhawan scoring a century. The Indian team was then led by Rohit Sharma.

CoA norms

Citing the COA norms, cricket administrators in the district say that 90% of the tickets are to be sold, leaving the rest to be issued as complimentary passes. However, this has not gone well with many district and State associations as the usual practice was to have around 60% of the tickets for sales and the rest for complimentary passes. It is learnt that the ACA (Andhra Cricket Association) has agreed to adhere to the COA norms.

So far, the city has hosted 12 ODIs, including one World Cup and one Hero Cup matches each between other nations, one test match (India Vs England) and one T20, apart from a few games in the IPL series. The first ODI to be played in the city was the match between India and New Zealand in 1988 at the Indira Priyadarshini Stadium in the Old Town area. Among the 12 ODIs played so far, Indira Priyadarshini Stadium has hosted five and the rest by the ACA-VDCA grounds.

Dhoni’s favourite

It’s no secret that Vizag is a favourite haunt for Team India as it has won most of its matches. The ACA-VDCA ground has been the favourite of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as it was the match here that changed his career. He scored 148 against arch-rival Pakistan in 2005 when he was promoted up the order by the then skipper Sourav Ganguly.