HYDERABAD: Legends of the game from all over the world used to frolic at this venue. Scores of honchos from Indian cricket took their initial steps at the historical ground here. Those days are long gone, as Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, colloquially known as LB stadium, last hosted an international cricket match way back on November 15, 2003.
Sixty-four years after playing host to the first ever Test match between India and New Zealand, the ground paints a despondent picture. Even Ranji Trophy games have not been held in years, with the field getting reduced to hosting a plethora of political programs round the year. Since 2005, Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal has been the usual venue for all international and Ranji matches. During this time frame, Gymkhana ground, which does not even have stands for spectators, has also been used for Ranji encounters, but never LB Stadium, which can fill 25,000 fans any given day.
So, what could be the reason behind such a drastic degradation? There are many. From lack of proper facilities to non-alignment of SATS with the parent cricketing body in the state: Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). It should be mentioned that AP Sports Council, much before the bifurcation, used to collaborate with HCA whenever an international match was scheduled in the city.
The stadium does host a few cricket matches, but they are primarily organised by HCA’s rival, Telangana Cricket Association (TCA), which is not affiliated to the BCCI. “HCA does not properly promote talent from districts other than Hyderabad,” SATS chairman Allipuram Venkateshwar Reddy told Express. He is of the opinion that unless the facilities are upgraded, no one will be interested in playing professional cricket at the stadium. “Even if the floodlights do work properly at times, there are no generators to support them.”
SATS administrative officer Vimalakar Rao said the stadium used to have a dedicated power supply for the floodlights, but it had to be cut a decade ago because of expenses. “But that is not a big hurdle in hosting events, as generators can be used to power up the floodlights,” Rao said. Sources said that more than 50 days are dedicated towards non-sporting activities that include political parties’ functions. In the aftermath of these events, the field gets damaged. Due to frantic campaigning activities in the last months, the stadium has hosted many high-profile figures.