A few minutes past noon on Sunday, at the ongoing Test match in Kanpur’s Green Park, the on-field umpires Chris Brown and Richard Kettleborough conducted an inspection of the ground. Shortly after, the in-stadium announcer informed the crowd that the next inspection would take place at 2 PM, citing “bad light” as the reason for the delay. This announcement left many spectators puzzled and murmuring amongst themselves—”Due to bad light?” On a day with a clear blue sky, was it a joke or an official statement? The announcer’s chuckle suggested it was the latter, best summed up by a fan’s incredulous glare.
Saturday had presented its own set of head-scratching developments. The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) officials were quizzed about why the covers had remained on the pitch despite long rain-free intervals, to which they responded: “There was constant drizzle.” Whether it was ‘bad light’ on Sunday or ‘constant drizzle’ on Saturday, the organizers seemed to possess a unique perspective on the situation. Truth, as they say, is subjective, and the UPCA had their own peculiar take on it. Regardless of the official statements’ validity, cricket fans had to endure another day without any play at Green Park, marking the second consecutive day without cricket due to the bizarre interpretations of the weather.
When play was eventually called off two hours later, a sea of disappointed fans streamed out of the stadium. They had wasted the better part of their Sunday, devoid of any live cricket. Among the disgruntled fans, a singular figment stood out—a poster of Rajiv Shukla, who’s face happily welcomed the ‘guests’ to cricket. However, the reality of the situation was far from welcoming.
One fan, who had sacrificed his sleep after a night shift at a chemical factory to watch the game, expressed his despair: “There was no rain, yet they couldn’t get the play started. If there was a wet patch on the ground, why wasn’t there any effort to fix it? Why wasn’t there even an effort to dry the outfield? It’s frustrating. We spent Rs 500 for our tickets, sat through six hours in this humidity, haven’t eaten anything since morning, haven’t slept. We couldn’t step out of the stadium since we wouldn’t be allowed back in. We had to stay, hoping play would start at some point. This was the only day I could come and watch cricket.”
Another fan, seasoned in attending cricket matches across India, interjected, “I’ve traveled to watch cricket in Indore, Bangalore, and other places where it has rained. But I’ve never seen play resumption take so long. You see organizers using iron machines, hairdryers—anything to dry the ground. In Pakistan, they even used a helicopter once. But here, we saw no such effort. Even the super soppers available weren’t used.
. There was no rain, the covers were off, and all they did was hope the sun would dry out the ground.”
A third fan, flaunting a Virat Kohli jersey, shared his thoughts, “Even if there was no cricket, why couldn’t Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma come and wave at us? That would’ve made our day, making the Rs 500 spent on tickets feel worthwhile. We rarely get opportunities to see them. Now I don’t know when I’ll get another chance.”
All three fans then headed to check the viability of reusing their Day 3 tickets for the fourth day. Even if successful, returning to watch cricket would mean losing another night’s sleep.
Ahead of the game, Green Park’s venue director had confidently asserted that his team was ready for any rain: “All covers have been arranged for the pitch, there are two super soppers, and the drainage system is in place. Recently, we encountered torrential rainfall, but our stadium wasn’t impacted.” He concluded, “Humara Test bhagwaan ne le liya hai, baaki ishwar jaane” (God has tested us; now we leave the rest to the almighty).
Clearly, the responsibility for the situation had been deferred to higher powers. Despite the sun shining brightly by 2 PM, the game was already called off. The conditions before that weren’t overcast either. The last time an entire day’s Test cricket was washed out due to rain in India was in 2015 at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium. Nowadays, play can resume there in 20 minutes after torrential rainfall. Expecting a similar turnaround from Green Park is a stretch, given its numerous inadequacies. Many stadiums across India have far better provisions to deal with rain than Green Park.
After three days, only 35 overs of play were possible in the Test match. With the World Test Championship points at stake, the game held significant importance for the teams, but for fans, the issues extended beyond a wasted day or money. Despite their disappointment, some fans remained hopeful, willing to try their luck again on the last two days.
For the locals, there’s an underlying worry beyond just postponed matches; murmurs of limiting Test cricket in India to five venues have intensified. With a new stadium set to open in Varanasi next year, the locals are anxious about when they’d get to see Indian players again in their city. One frustrated security guard summed it up, “This match is gone. We’ll have to wait another three years.”
In a place characterized by confusion and unfulfilled efforts, even a glimpse of the cricket superstars could have made all the difference. However, the larger question remains—how are the authorities planning to tackle these persistent issues to prevent similar future disappointments?