As India, Afghanistan gear up for one-off match, Mullanpur stadium set to be country’s 31st Test venue

While the IS Bindra PCA Stadium at Mohali and Burton Park in Jalandhar have played host to Test cricket in the past, the new stadium at Mullanpur is the latest addition in the country’s long list of Test stadiums.

With Punjab lad Shubman Gill leading the Indian Test side and another Punjab youngster Gurnoor Brar also in the 15-member team, the one-off match will see Gill captaining the Indian Test team for the first time at his home ground.

Indian captain Shubman Gill during a practice session at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA New International Stadium on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Gill, who has played in 40 Tests so far, apart from 61 ODIs and 36 T20Is for India so far, was appointed the Indian Test and ODI captain last year and since then has captained India in eight Test matches including three Test matches in India apart from captaining the team in ODIs.

“It’s an honour for the Punjab Cricket Association that the new stadium has become the 31st Test venue in India. It’s a matter of pride for Punjab too as Punjab cricketer Shubman Gill will be leading the Indian team in the one-off Test against Afghanistan and another Punjab cricketer Gurnoor Brar is also part of the Indian team for this Test,” PCA secretary Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said.

“As always, PCA will leave no stone unturned in hosting this Test match and we hope both the teams enjoy playing at the venue. We hosted two matches of IPL play-offs too last week and our aim is to get as many matches to the stadium as possible,” he added.

Last year, the Mullanpur stadium hosted its first international match during India-Australia women ODI series. Later in December, the stadium hosted its first men’s international match when India played against South Africa in a T20 series. Since then, the stadium has also hosted four IPL matches this year apart from the Qualifier 1 and Eliminator in the IPL play-offs last week.

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PCA Secretary Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer watches the practice session of Indian team at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA New International Stadium in Mullanpur on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

In the past, IS Bindra PCA International Stadium at Mohali had played host to 14 Tests, 26 ODIs and seven T20Is.

While the tickets for the IPL matches were in the range of Rs 2,200 to Rs 20,500 per match, the ticket rates for the five-day Test match have been kept low with the lowest priced ticket at Rs 250 and the highest priced ticket at Rs 10,000.

The tickets will be valid for the whole duration of the Test match with PCA offering tickets for Rs 250 (upper Tier stands), Rs 1,500 (Terrace stands), Rs 2,000 (South Pavilion Stand), Rs 2,500 (Harbhajan Singh Pavillion stands), Rs 4,000 (Corporate Box SB1) and Rs 10,000 (AC Lounge Level-1). For students, the ticket price is Rs 100. According to PCA, more than 1700 tickets have been sold so far.

“We urge school students as well college students to come and watch this historic Test match during their summer vacations. The tickets have been priced nominally with the ticket rates starting from Rs 250 for the five-day Test match. One ticket will ensure the stadium entry on all the five days of the Test match and PCA will ensure a memorable experience for the cricket fans,” Hayer said.

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Meanwhile, on Wednesday, both the Indian and Afghanistan teams practised at the Mullanpur stadium, where Indian coach Gautam Gambhir along with newly appointed spin coach Sairaj Bahutule were seen. The Afghanistan team led by their skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi too spent more than two hours in the practice session. “We alo prepared three pitches for the Indian team for practice in the Ground B at the New Stadium as the Indian team management requested for practice. We are also planning to add floodlights to the Ground B in the coming time,” added Hayer.