Cricket buffs in the city will get a chance to watch some good cricket, as Team India will clash with Sri Lanka in an ODI in December at their favourite ACA-VDCA stadium here.
Visakhapatnam has been selected by the BCCI as one of the venue for the three ODIs against Sri Lanka, the others reportedly being Mohali and Dharmashala. This was confirmed by secretary of Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (VDCA) K. Parthasarathi.
As per tentative schedule, Sri Lanka will tour India for three Test matches, three ODIs and three T20s.
The last time an ODI was played in the city was on October 20, 2016, when India beat New Zealand comprehensively.
The ACA- VDCA stadium was accorded Test status last year and the first Test match was played between India and England in November, 2016. The stadium first hosted a ODI in 2005.
Visakhapatnam has been a city of cricket lovers and so far it has hosted 11 ODIs (including one World Cup and one Hero Cup matches between other nations), one Test and one T20, apart from a few IPL matches.
The first ODI was played between India and New Zealand in 1988, and the match was played at Indira Priyadarshini Stadium in the Old Town area.
The ACA-VDCA stadium has been lucky ground for India. Of the nine outings, India won 7 of them. And it was at the ACA-VDCA stadium that India discovered one of its greatest cricketers who would rule the game for over 12 years, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The former Indian skipper (Dhoni) acknowledged that the match against Pakistan in 2005 at the ACA-VDCA stadium was turning point in his life when he blasted 148 against arch-rivals, when sent up the batting order by the then Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly, and the stadium continues to be one among his favourites. His love for the stadium was also portrayed in his biopic film ‘Dhoni’.