20/20 Mania Kills TEST Crowd

[Holysmoke]

Who has the time, or the energy to skip a day off work, go to a stadium in the heat, without basic comfortable chairs, clean toilets, etc, to watch a slow paced game without a sizeable crowd to have fun with.You arent allowed bottles of water, you have to drink from pouches. You arent allowed cellphones or other electronic equipment, for security reasons. You have to eat what is served in the stadium. Once you leave the stadium, you cant get back in. No proper screens to watch replays, etc 20=20 is fast, doesnt involve you to skip work, isnt in the heat of the day, generally has a large crowd(so more fun). Heck, generally dont leave your seat once you are seated, or else you'll miss quite a bit of the game. Who would be in their right minds to go to watch a test in the stadium.

[Sachinism]

Who has the time, or the energy to skip a day off work, go to a stadium in the heat, without basic comfortable chairs, clean toilets, etc, to watch a slow paced game without a sizeable crowd to have fun with.You arent allowed bottles of water, you have to drink from pouches. You arent allowed cellphones or other electronic equipment, for security reasons. You have to eat what is served in the stadium. Once you leave the stadium, you cant get back in. No proper screens to watch replays, etc 20=20 is fast, doesnt involve you to skip work, isnt in the heat of the day, generally has a large crowd(so more fun). Heck, generally dont leave your seat once you are seated, or else you'll miss quite a bit of the game. Who would be in their right minds to go to watch a test in the stadium.

Here in England it is pretty much the same, you have crappy plastic seats I've personally never been to the toilets at a cricket ground, but I guess they would be OK You have to buy food and drink at the ground which is 3 times the price you'd find it anywhere else in London (Which is already expensive) People need to deal with it, yeh it could be annoying, but certain things are there in place for security which is very important considering all the terrorists running around and all the threats being handed out

[SachDan]

5000 ?? I couldn't have guessed. What's the stadium's seating capacity ?

45000 ! http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/nov/04nagpur.htm

[Holysmoke]

Here in England it is pretty much the same, you have crappy plastic seats I've personally never been to the toilets at a cricket ground, but I guess they would be OK You have to buy food and drink at the ground which is 3 times the price you'd find it anywhere else in London (Which is already expensive) People need to deal with it, yeh it could be annoying, but certain things are there in place for security which is very important considering all the terrorists running around and all the threats being handed out

People are dealing with it, by not going to the stadiums to watch the games.

[Cricketics]

is this stadium located in the city of Nagpur?? or lies somewhere in the outskirts of Nagpur?? i heard it's little far from the main city just like that Navi Mumbai stadium which was too far from the main City

[Holysmoke]

16kms from the city

[Rajiv]

Who has the time, or the energy to skip a day off work, go to a stadium in the heat, without basic comfortable chairs, clean toilets, etc, to watch a slow paced game without a sizeable crowd to have fun with.You arent allowed bottles of water, you have to drink from pouches. You arent allowed cellphones or other electronic equipment, for security reasons. You have to eat what is served in the stadium. Once you leave the stadium, you cant get back in. No proper screens to watch replays, etc 20=20 is fast, doesnt involve you to skip work, isnt in the heat of the day, generally has a large crowd(so more fun). Heck, generally dont leave your seat once you are seated, or else you'll miss quite a bit of the game. Who would be in their right minds to go to watch a test in the stadium.

..so its abt trend..the same crowed with worse conditions if not better flocked to the stadiums..so thus the shorter version changed the concept or more and more ppl can afford TV and satellite now In Mumbai, it's the youth which turns up inlcuding fatimas and women in burkhas.. but apni scooter waalis nagpurian aunties kidhar gayi??

[Cricketics]

..so its abt trend..the same crowed with worse conditions if not better flocked to the stadiums..so thus the shorter version changed the concept or more and more ppl can afford TV and satellite now In Mumbai, it's the youth which turns up inlcuding fatimas and women in burkhas.. but apni scooter waalis nagpurian aunties kidhar gayi??

whats the local lang in nagpur???

[Rajiv]

whats the local lang in nagpur???

sarangi narangi chilka nikhal

[Cricketics]

sarangi narangi chilka nikhal

Jai Maharashtra

[King Tendulkar]

Lets play at eden gardens more as bharat said. Yes negatives etc. But what an atmosphere. Full with 100,00 people!

[Cricketics]

i don't understand.. are the tickets at eden garden so cheap that people are easily able to buy them?? i mean bengal is supposed to be one of the most poorest places in India...

[Holysmoke]

..so its abt trend..the same crowed with worse conditions if not better flocked to the stadiums..so thus the shorter version changed the concept or more and more ppl can afford TV and satellite now In Mumbai, it's the youth which turns up inlcuding fatimas and women in burkhas.. but apni scooter waalis nagpurian aunties kidhar gayi??

TV is now readily available.. almost everyone who can afford to pay for a ticket can afford a TV. Its def the shorter version thats changed the dynamic. With the amount of cricket being played nowadays, who can afford to spend a whole day in the stadium...

[Rajiv]

..so, back to the topic then , 20/20 killed it

[King Tendulkar]

20/20 may be killing it in india. What are the vieing figures like. If they are high then its all good, if not:nervous: Maybe location of stadiums and pricing as well. Worring that in thios brilliant series against aussies the crowds are poor. Maybe tests need to be at more established venues, were crowds are higher. eg eden gardens.

[Sachinism]

Spectator-friendly minus the spectators I had two new experiences today. I watched a day of Test match cricket as a spectator at an Indian ground in comforts that, in the context of what an Indian cricket fan has learnt to endure, bordered on the luxurious. And then I also watched Sachin Tendulkar score a Test hundred in front of a crowd so small that, with a bit of perseverance, you could have counted them manually. It was both tragic and ironic. The most spectator-friendly ground in the world's most cricket-obsessed country was also the barest. There were good reasons to expect a healthy turnout. It is Sourav Ganguly¹s final Test and VVS Laxman's 100th, and most of all, it is the Test that will decide the fate of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which has, over four hard-fought and enthralling series in the last seven years, emerged as the top contest in Test cricket. Yet nothing, not even the news that India's openers were galloping away at over five, could persuade locals to make the journey. Of course, the journey might have been the problem. To get to the new ground is a challenge. It is 18 kilometers from the town centre, off the highway to Hyderabad, and there is no public transport. An autorickshaw ride costs upward of Rs 200, and taxis more than double that - and even these options are not available for the return trip. And the local organisers have done nothing to encourage spontaneous urges. Only season tickets are being sold and, though the organisers argue that prices are more than reasonable - 30,000 seats in the 45,000-capacity ground are priced between Rs 750 and Rs 1000 - it is staggering that a daily ticket is simply not available. It is a pity because considerable planning and money has gone into building this gleaming and well-designed stadium. Ricky Ponting gushed about the comforts in the changing rooms; Sachin Tendulkar said the facilities exceeded all expectations. The fans could not hope for better seating - the entire stadium has bucket seats, some of which are cushioned - and care has been taken ensure there are no columns obstructing the view. There are plenty of toilets and exits and you can even walk from one block to another. Though the stands are tall - the South Wing has four levels - there are gaps for air and light. The security measures are ideal: adequate, but not oppressive. But what use if only 4000 people turn up for the first day of a series decider? More worryingly, it points to a larger trend of declining audiences at India's smaller Test match centres. The story was the same at the second Test in Mohali, which is similar to the new stadium in Nagpur. It is comfortable once you get in, but the tough part is getting there. Equally, there is a discernible indifference towards the culture of Test cricket at the smaller venues. Mohali recorded a huge turnout for almost all of the home matches of Kings XI, Punjab during the IPL and, despite a disastrous run by the Deccan Chargers, the new stadium in Hyderabad - which is a fair distance away from the city - drew in larger numbers than those seen at Test matches in Mohali and Nagpur. And the turnout at ICL matches in Hyderadad and Ahmedabad has been huge, though it can be argued that there have been plenty of free tickets going. Is there a lesson here for the Indian board? Bangalore has been the best attended Test in the series so far and, though comparatively thin, the numbers in Delhi far exceeded Mohali and what was seen in the first day in Nagpur. Eden Gardens never draws less than 40,000 and the Test-match attendance at Chennai and Mumbai has always been healthy. Prima facie, there is a case to be considered, if not immediately implemented, to restrict Test matches to centres that have a culture of and a connect with the longer version. Smaller centres will be only too happy to host one-day matches, still a big draw, and whatever Twenty20 matches the BCCI may conjure up. A rotation system for match allotment is understandable in a huge country like India, but it must also be sensible. I forgot to mention my third new experience of the day. Midway through the first session, they started belting out Hindi songs during the over breaks. It felt incongruous at a Test match. Worse, it felt hollow and artificial. There was no one to dance in the aisles. Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, has built a fabulous stadium in his home town that should serve as a model for the rest of the country. But he is now left to ponder the task of filling it. Empty grounds are no fun. They are soul-breaking. http://content-www.cricinfo.com/indvaus2008/content/current/story/377218.html

[TaNk]

45k seating ... 16-20km from city and you have to buy 5 day's tickets in advance. and 5 day ticket's start from anywhere 2500 to 8k

[King]

The game may not even go on for 5 days so why would one buy for five days in advance? We have similar ticket pricing here but you can also buy a day's worth as well. There are family passes at cheaper rates and kids get discounted rate tickets.

[Sachinism]

BCCI = Fail (atleast with the tickets)

[Predator_05]

BCCI = Fail (atleast with the tickets)

How else are they supposed to pay for that 5 star stadium ?