Dungarpur said that watching a Test match at the CCI would be more satisfying than witnessing the final of the mini-World Cup.
MUMBAI: Hosting a Test match at the Cricket Club of India remains a dream for its president Raj Singh Dungarpur.
Even as West Indies played Australia in the final of the Champions Trophy on Sunday, Dungarpur said that watching a Test match at the CCI would be even more satisfying for him than witnessing the final of the mini-World Cup. “From a personal point of view, I would like to see a Test match allotted to the CCI again. We have had many fine games at the Brabourne Stadium and seeing a Test here will only be befitting,” Dungarpur said on Sunday.
It has been a while since the CCI hosted a five-day game. The last Test to be played here was between India and England in 1972-73 after which cricket shifted to the Wankhede Stadium. The last Test of the five-match series ended in a draw at the Brabourne, but India won the series 2-1.
Between the last Test and prior to the Champions Trophy, the CCI hosted just 19 first class games, including three one-day internationals, while the Wankhede has played host to 150 games.
“I have not expressed my desire to anyone yet, nor has anyone given me an offer, but it remains a dream of mine to see another Test being played at this historical venue,” Dungarpur said while the final was going on.
The CCI president expressed his confidence that after the meticulous way in which the final and the previous four games were organised, the BCCI and its president Sharad Pawar should have no qualms about considering the CCI as a Test venue.
“Cricket in this city started at the Bombay Gymkhana and then moved to the Brabourne. Later as we were a club, which had our commitments to members, the game moved to the Wankhede,” Dungarpur said. The Bombay Cricket Association and the CCI were in disagreement over seats allotment to their respective members or affiliated units in the early 70s and as a result the Wankhede was established.
However, Dungarpur believes the day of disgruntlement between the two bodies is passé. “The CCI and the MCA are like brothers now,” he said.
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