Guwahati becomes India’s 30th test venue as ACA stadium set to host maiden match

Guwahati, Nov 21: When the ACA Stadium stages its first Test match beginning on November 22, Guwahati will step into a new chapter of its sporting history. For cricket lovers across Assam, the occasion is steeped in emotion and for many from older generations, it feels like witnessing a dream unfold. For the younger ones, it is a moment to be part of something they have only read or heard about.

India will take on South Africa in the second Test of the two-match series. India lost the opening game against the Proteas in Kolkata by 30 runs.

Guwahati will be the 30th Test cricket venue of India, marking the debut of five-day red-ball international matches for the city as well as the northeastern region. Notably, this will also be the first Test match that will see a reversal of the traditional lunch and tea break timings due to the early start necessitated by local daylight conditions.

Play will begin in Guwahati at 9 am instead of the standard 9:30 am start time elsewhere in India to compensate for the early sunrise and early sunset in the Northeast. Such alterations are typically reserved for day-night Tests.

Guwahati has been part of international cricket since 1983, mostly hosting one day internationals (ODIs) and more recently T20 internationals (T20Is). Nehru Stadium served as the early venue, welcoming teams from Australia, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and New Zealand. Since 2017, international fixtures have shifted to the ACA Stadium at Barsapara.

Former Assam Ranji Trophy player Bimal Bharali still hears the roar of the Nehru Stadium crowd from 1976. As part of the East Zone team, he had scored an unbeaten 45 against a visiting England side. Nearly 50 years later, the former Assam batter finds himself celebrating a different milestone as his city prepares to host its first Test.

“It is a great moment for all of us,” Bharali told The Assam Tribune on Thursday. For him and his contemporaries, the occasion carries the weight of a long-held wish finally fulfilled.

“During our playing days, we never imagined a Test would come to Guwahati. Facilities used to be very basic,” said Bharali, who played for Assam through the 1970s and 1980s. “It is wonderful to see this happening now. I am very happy.”

He said the match would give young fans a chance to watch Test cricket from the stands. “Television is everywhere, but watching a match in the stadium is a completely different experience,” he said.

Recalling the 1976 match against the Tony Greig-led England team, Bharali said his 45 not out came during a determined effort to force a draw. He said the facilities back then could not compare with what the ACA Stadium offers today.

Bharali praised the wicket and the outfield at Barsapara. “The standard is very high. As cricket lovers, we hope the match lasts five days and gives us good cricket. What happened in Kolkata is behind us,” he added.

He also remembered attending the next Test between India and England in Kolkata that same year. India lost by 10 wickets, but he was pleasantly surprised by the appreciation for his innings from the previous match.

Former Assam players Naba Konwar and Munna Kakati shared similar sentiments. Both played first class cricket in the 1970s and 1980s and said the upcoming Test would remain a landmark moment.

“For us, November 22 will be written in golden letters. Guwahati will now be on the global Test cricket map. Credit must go to BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia,” said Konwar, who had faced England while turning out for East Zone in 1984.

Kakati, now 71, said they never imagined such a day during their playing careers. He said the match would be a learning experience for the younger generation. “We did not have this opportunity, but the youngsters can watch the best players up close and learn,” he said.

To many young fans, the Test is nothing short of joy. Seventeen-year-old Riddhiman Saikia said Test cricket gives him the greatest thrill. “I aspire to be a fast bowler and I love watching fast bowling in Tests. I enjoy matches on the Australian and South African wickets. But now that it is happening in Guwahati, nothing can match this feeling,” he said.

For Assam cricket, the arrival of a Test match signals a milestone that generations of players once only hoped for. Now that moment is finally at hand.