When the schedule for the Ranji Trophy was launched final 12 months, the Board of Management for Cricket in India (BCCI) had allotted Assam’s residence sport in opposition to Mumbai to the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.
However a number of weeks in the past, the Assam Cricket Affiliation needed to shift the fixture to the picturesque Amingaon Cricket Floor, which is almost 30 kilometres from town centre, because the Nehru Stadium wasn’t in one of the best of form to host the essential sport.
Amingaon floor, a quaint venue in North Guwahati, is near the enduring Saraighat Bridge — a rail-cum-road bridge over Brahmaputra river — and overlooks the mountains. It was inaugurated in 2021 by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and has to this point hosted BCCI-affiliated age-group tournaments. However it would make its first-class debut on Tuesday, when Mumbai squares off in opposition to Assam, and the State affiliation desires to make the second particular.
Whereas many of the bigwigs of the ACA are busy with the primary ODI between India and Sri Lanka — which can even be held on Tuesday on the Assam Cricket Affiliation Stadium in Barsapara — a devoted group has been deputed to make sure that issues are simply good on the Amingaon facility.
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On the entrance, it has constructed an enormous makeshift gate commemorating the venue’s first-class debut, whereas placing up giant billboards and banners throughout the taking part in enviornment. The power doesn’t have any gallery but and solely has a two-storey pavilion known as the Kumar Bhaskar Barman Khetra. Downstairs there’s a foyer space for the groups to have their meals earlier than or through the sport, however over the subsequent few years, the State affiliation plans to work additional on the power, with an intention to make it extra spectator pleasant.
Picturesque: View of the hills from the Amingaon Cricket Floor.
| Picture Credit score: Shayan Acharya
“We did not have much time, but the association worked on a war-footing to get the venue ready for the Ranji game,” one of many officers concerned in the entire course of, mentioned.
The venue has been internet hosting native tournaments and BCCI’s age-group and ladies’s matches because the finish of 2021, and final week, it hosted the Col. C. Okay. Nayudu Trophy fixture between Assam and Tamil Nadu which was a run feast. The Assam senior males’s group has been coaching right here for some time and forward of the sport in opposition to Mumbai, the gamers and the teaching workers look assured. “We play all our games at this venue. Our tournaments happened here, so every member of the team has played on this surface and they have a fair idea and it won’t be a problem,” Assam head coach Trevor Gonsalves instructed Sportstar.
Mumbai coach Amol Muzumdar had represented Assam for a number of seasons throughout his taking part in days, however he didn’t have any thought in regards to the new floor till not too long ago. “It’s our first game over here. I have never even played here. In fact, I had never seen the ground earlier although I played for Assam for a couple of seasons. It’s a new territory that we have walked into and we are looking forward to it,” Muzumdar mentioned.
The floor seems to be a flat deck, aiding the batters. Whereas the Assam gamers imagine that it might begin turning from the third day, Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane had a detailed take a look at the wicket together with Muzumdar through the group’s coaching session on Monday, and the coach believes that “it looks like a decent surface…”
