KOCHI: A campaign demanding the Kerala
Cricket Association (KCA) shift the venue of the India-West Indies
ODI in November from the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in
Kochi, and thereby avoid damaging the new grass turf, gained
considerable steam on social media on Monday.The playing surface was
renovated as part of the Rs 25-crore worth of refurbishment at the
stadium ahead of the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup. However, if the
KCA decides to host the ODI there, the turf will have to be dug up to
lay the cricket pitch.
Footballers, including Kerala Blasters' Iain Hume
and Vineeth C K, as well as celebrities like Shashi Tharoor MP and
writer N S Madhavan reacted to the development after fans of the
Kochi-based ISL club started the social media campaign using the
hashtag #SaveKochiTurf. Hume posted on Instagram: "I was
here for ISL 1 when they had 6-8 weeks to transform our field from a
cricket to a football ground. They made great strides in doing so,
but it was still some way off from being a field for top level
football. The amount of time and money that has been spent since then
to get the pitch to the standard it is now for the U-17 World Cup and
ISL, it would be a travesty to tear it up for a one off cricket
match."
Hume, as well as Blasters fans, wondered why the
KCA were resolute in hosting the ODI in Kochi when the Greenfield
International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, which had hosted the
India-New Zealand T20I last November, was available. "There's
a ground in Trivandrum that is cricket specific. So why for the sake
of one match rip up a pitch that has taken years to get to the
standard as one of the best in the country?" the Canadian
questioned.
India international Vineeth also blasted the move.
"I believe that for sports to co-exist, it is important that
they do not stop each other from growing. A lot of time, effort and
money have gone into the football pitch at the JN Stadium. The
stadium is one of only six in India that are approved by FIFA, a
certification that will take immense effort and countless permissions
to obtain again," Vineeth posted."When India has always
been known for being a 'cricket crazy' nation, is it really necessary
to dig up a football pitch to play a cricket match?" he wrote.
"Give the match to Trivandrum or get drop-in
pitches, if viable. Stop vandalism," tweeted N S
Madhavan.
Meanwhile, Tharoor took up the matter with the BCCI Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai. "Spoke to CoA Chief Vinod Rai to denounce KCA's bizarre decision to transfer the India-WI ODI from a match-ready Trivandrum to Kochi whose ground was last used for the U-17 Football World Cup. He has promised to review the matter. KCA motives highly suspect," Tharoor tweeted
Meanwhile, Tharoor took up the matter with the BCCI Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai. "Spoke to CoA Chief Vinod Rai to denounce KCA's bizarre decision to transfer the India-WI ODI from a match-ready Trivandrum to Kochi whose ground was last used for the U-17 Football World Cup. He has promised to review the matter. KCA motives highly suspect," Tharoor tweeted
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