The ongoing first Test between India and England has left every fan hooked onto their seat at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium thanks to the proceedings on the field, but the same cannot be said for those watching the match in the box seats at the venue due to its condition.
A fan shared images of the box seats at the Hyderabad venue where each ticket costs upwards of ₹9,000.
The exclusive pictures in possession of The Free Press Journal show dust and dirt lying everywhere around the seats, on the floor in one of the stands and even the walls are disintegrating.
Such is the condition of one of the newest stadiums in India, which has the richest board among all in the BCCI that spends crores of rupees on improving the infrastructure every year.
Notably, this is the second instance of complaints against the Hyderabad stadium after it came into the spotlight for the pathetic condition of its seats before the ICC World Cup 2023 in October.
Fans had highlighted how the stadium seats were in a dilapidated condition despite charging a lot of money for tickets during the high-profile tournament.
And this happened even after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had released funds for the cleanup and overhaul of all the World Cup venues in the country. fift
Massive turnout in Hyderabad for 1st Test
But despite all the challenges, over 1 lakh fans have come to watch the Test series opener between India and England in four days.
RGI Stadium day wise attendance:
Day 1 – 23,000+
Day 2 – 32,000+
Day 3 – 25,000+
Day 4 – 27,000+
The match itself is turning out to be a humdinger with India needing less than 100 to win but only have 3 wickets in hand.
England set India a target of 231 runs to win after Ollie Pope’s brilliant 196 helped them post 420 runs in their second innings.
India had dominated the first two days of the Test before the England vice-captain’s 5th hundred in the format put the visitor’s in the driver’s seat at Uppal.
