Time running out, DDCA upbeat
"Dilliwale match dekhenge," former Test opener Chetan Chauhan assured Sajjan Singh Thakur. Profile: Feroz Shah Kotla | Statistics
Time is running out for the Capital’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground as the deadline set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India expires on March 17.
As the Kotla ground renovation is going on, the Indian cricket board had set the March 17 deadline, one month ahead of the scheduled Indo-Pak ODI in Delhi. Unless that happens, the ODI might be shifted out.
However, DDCA secretary Chetan Chauhan told this correspondent in an exclusive interview that local level matches, at least "two or three", would be staged in the next few days (before the second inspection will be made by the pitches committee).
He said he had "no idea about the second inspection now", and didn't seem to be worried about the fast approaching deadline.
Chauhan expressed optimism about the ground being ready for the ODI, given the "importance being attached to the big event".
Already Delhi, which has not been allotted an international match for close to three years, has lost out to some smaller centres as Test venue. The Delhi cricket officials are leaving no stones unturned to get things done in time.
"Work is continuing on a war footing. We are exited about Delhiites getting to see the cricket stars descending on the Capital for any international game after a long gap," he said. So, one does not need to worry.
The very thought of Indo-Pak ODI "has fired up all the staff engaged in construction".
"Raat din kaam ho reha hai, Dilliwale match jaroor dekhenge," the former Test opener assures, adding "the pitch will suit both the bowler as well as the batsman, with a little bit of grass in it," when asked about the pitch condition.
Former Test player Surendra Khana, currently out of town, when contacted, said on Thursday he could talk about ground’s condition only by Friday "when he actually sees it".
Recently, BCCI's pitches and grounds committee chairman Venkat Sundaram had indicated that the venue might be shifted if the ground was not ready by March 17.
"March 17, which will be exactly a month before the match is slated to be held on April 17, will be the deadline for the ground to get ready to host the match," he had said.
"We don't want DDCA to be banned by ICC for poor standards of ground. BCCI will not compromise on the quality of ground standards," he had added.