Floodlights at Gandhi ground a distant dream?
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 1
The announcement for installation of floodlights to conduct day-night matches on Gandhi ground, made way back in 2009, remains a far-fetched dream.
The more than 80-year-old local cricket stadium, known as Gandhi ground, where reputed national and international players like Madan Lal, Mohinder Amarnath, Bishan Singh Bedi, Surinder Amarnath, Sarandeep Singh and Harvinder Singh have honed their skills, is struggling to secure a fixture in even domestic cricket.
It is pertinent to mention here that the then BCCI Selection Committee chairman MSK Prasad, during his visit to the ground in 2017, had stated that the ground was fit to host national and international matches provided its infrastructure was expanded.
Pardeep Saini, vice president, Amritsar Games Association, which administers Gandhi cricket ground, said the proposal to install floodlights here was already pending with the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA). He said following the visit of the PCA’s technical committee, the ground would secure the nod.
Veteran cricketers associated with the ground, seeking anonymity, say huge funds are required to install floodlights. So before this, it was necessary to build the entire stadium and double its present seating capacity of 15,000.
The holy city fulfills all requirements for hosting international fixtures as it has an international airport and five-star hotels. Its proximity to Pakistan will give a rise to tourism.
Established in 1932 with a generous donation from Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala and the then Punjab government, the ground has hosted many national and international matches. The first notable match played here was between India XI and the MCC in 1933. The Indian cricket team was led by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, while other famous players were Lala Amarnath, Col CK Naidu and Surjit Singh Majithia.
Teams of West Indies, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England have played here. The Indian cricket team had played against Sri Lanka here in 1983. The North Zone cricket team had played against West Indies in 1984. India versus World XI and India versus New Zealand were played in 1995.
