India-West Indiea ODI in Kaloor
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Kochi: Kochi wil host the India-West Indies One Day International (ODI) allotted to Kerala by Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).
The match scheduled for 1 November, the birthday of Kerala State will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kaloor Kochi. The decision was taken in a discussion between the owner of the stadium, Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and Kerala Cricket Association (KCA). Earlier indications were that the greenfield stadium in Thiruvananthapuram will be the venue.
However, opposition has been growing against permitting the use of the stadium for just one day of cricket, as the venue has been made to FIFA specifications for international football matches. In this context, Kerala Blasters team management has been invited by GCDA for talks regarding conducting ISL matches without any interruption.
The Windies tour of India will have three test matches, five one day matches and one T-20I. The Kochi event will be the fifth and last one dayer of the tour. However, both the cricket pitch and outfield have been modified for the Under-17 World Cup match held recently. For preparing the ground as per FIFA standards, an amount of 25 crore was spent which also saw a reduction of seats in the gallery. For the purpose cricket, at least three wickets have to be built. However, in the ISL season, there is stiff opposition from football fans and local clubs to converting the stadium, which is also the home ground of Kerala Blasters, into a cricket venue. The crux of the objection is regarding digging up the ground for setting up cricket pitches. The opponents have approached GCDA against the move and are also planning wide campaigns against the decision to hold the cricket event.
On the other hand, KCA which has taken the Kaloor Stadium on lease for 30 years is interested in conducting the ODI there. They aver that if ISL first leg home match of Blasters is put off, the issue can be solved. KCA also recalls that in 2014 for the sake of India-West Indies one day cricket, ISL organizers had made a compromise. A meeting with Blasters management has been called to discuss this matter.