England set to play in front of 25,000 in second Test against India
England’s second Test in India is likely to be their first game in front of spectators for more than a year, with new guidelines covering sporting events in India opening the possibility of the 50,000-capacity MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai being half full. Only a shortage of time to arrange ticketing has prevented doors being open when the teams’ first meeting gets under way on Friday.
Though the outcome of discussions between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association have not yet been made public, a TNCA official told the Press Trust of India agency on Monday that the public would be permitted.
“It has been decided by the BCCI and TNCA to allow 50% spectators for the second Test by following all safety protocols,” the official said. “There is little time to make arrangements for spectators’ entry for the first Test so crowds cannot be allowed. Though the gap between the first two Tests is only three days, we are confident that arrangements can be made for fans in the second Test.”
TNCA members and journalists may be allowed at the first Test, while clearance has already been given for spectators to attend the third and fourth matches, which will be played at the 110,000-capacity Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. Though they can expect a hostile atmosphere, the development was immediately welcomed by England’s players.
“If it’s safe then great, obviously we’d love to play in front of crowds as soon as possible,” said Jack Leach. “Definitely we want to play in front of crowds, but obviously we don’t want to be adding to a problem which is affecting the whole world.”
Following illness and injury, Leach returned after a 14-month absence from Test cricket to contribute a stream of second-innings wickets to England’s series victory in Sri Lanka last month, but he has admitted that further improvement will be required if he is to flourish in India against the team he considers “probably on paper the best in the world”.
Having returned no positive Covid tests on Sunday, the team will be released from quarantine to train on Tuesday for the first time since their arrival in India. The six days spent in his hotel room – “I’ve done some reflecting, I’ve bowled a few in the mirror” – has been a relatively brief pause in what has been a stop-start couple of years for Leach, who at the age of 29 is preparing for his 13th Test.
“It’s been a long time not playing, and in that time I did a lot of work to try to become, I guess, the bowler that I want to be. I feel like it’s all in there, I just need to bring it out now. I feel I’m going in the right direction. India are obviously a great side and they’ve got all bases covered. I wouldn’t want to have too many assumptions, but I know if I get myself right and in the right headspace and bowling how I can then I can be effective.”
Leach’s confidence has been freshly boosted by his impact in Sri Lanka, even if he was not completely satisfied with his performances there. “I’m somebody who’s never happy, and I think there’s more improvement from me to come. I feel like the way the ball came out wasn’t exactly how I’d like it, but I have to accept that I haven’t had much cricket in recent times. The boys played some great cricket, it was nice to be part of that and make a contribution, but I feel like I’ve got more to offer.”
He may be helped by the pitches in India, even if the quality of batsmen he will be facing is daunting. “I feel it’s just a great opportunity for all of us to test ourselves against what on paper’s probably the best side in the world,” Leach said. “To do it here – it’s my first time in India – this is the dream. It’s a fantastic opportunity and after missing cricket you have to remember to really enjoy and cherish these moments.”
Channel 4 have bid for broadcasting rights in the UK, which would make the series the first Tests to be broadcast on terrestrial TV since the 2005 Ashes.