Australia's Most Beautiful Test Cricket Venues and Why India Doesn't Have Stadiums Like This ?

Despite being the BCCI, the world's most prominent and wealthiest Cricket board, India still lacks well-architected modern cricket stadiums. On the other hand, Australia has five or six prime test stadiums, where most international test matches happen.

Australia 5 prime cricket stadium for test matches.

Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) 

Capacity 53,000

Re-Development -2012-15

Adelaide Oval is one of the oldest grounds for test cricket. Since 1884, it has hosted 82 matches and become Australia's prime centre for day-night test matches. 

Melbourne (Melbourne Cricket Ground)

Capacity 100,000

MCG is the second-largest cricket stadium in the world in terms of spectator capacity. Since 1877, it has hosted 117 test matches. It also hosts a Boxing Day test match, which is very significant and draws a large number of spectators.

Perth (Optus Stadium)

Capacity 61,000

It's the third largest stadium capacity-wise in Australia. It was inaugurated in 2018 and has hosted five matches since then.

Brisbane (The Gabba)

Established in 1947, it is a fortress of Australia. The team hadn't lost a match until the 2021 Border Gavaskar Trophy when India beat Australia to clinch the trophy.

Sydney (Sydney Cricket Ground)

With a capacity of 48000, this venue is famous for its New Year tradition, where the year's first match is played. Surprisingly, unlike other Australian test venues, this SCG is more spin-friendly. 

In comparison, India's test venues, spread across the country, do not have modern architecture. There has long been a demand for developing four or five test centres across the country, which would have state-of-the-art facilities for rain lights, spectator capacity, and more. Unfortunately, most stadiums look old except the newest one, Narendra Modi Stadium.

Despite being the wealthiest board, India does not have state-of-the-art, brilliantly architectured stadiums for test cricket, and we yet see so many games getting disrupted due to the rain and sometimes giving no result. Why can't the BCCI develop 4-5 stadiums, which became the prime test centres and have facilities like rain shed?

When Ravichandran Ashwin was asked a similar question after the Kanpur test, where most of the game was abandoned due to rain, Ashwin diplomatically stated it was "above his pay grade to comment.”

Indian Stadiums: