Keenan stadium revamp on the anvil

Jamshedpur: The Steel City’s iconic Keenan stadium, which has witnessed several epic international cricket matches in the past, is set to find its lost glory with Tata Steel, the custodian of the 80-year-old stadium, preparing a blueprint to revamp the stadium and improve its infrastructure.
“We are looking forward to a meeting with BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary to work out the modalities for reviving the infrastructure of the stadium,” Tata Steel VP (CS) Chanakya Chaudhary said. He said the meeting was scheduled to take place recently, but was deferred.

Chaudhary said keeping the stadium’s infrastructure in good health is necessary to host sports events at regular intervals. “Even today, matches are being played at Keenan. But we need to increase the number,” he said.

Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) hosted three Ranji Trophy matches and a few board matches at the Keenan stadium in the last two cricket seasons. JSCA president Kuldeep Singh said: “We will extend all possible help to Tata Steel to revamp the stadium.”

“The revival of the stadium will not only increase the number of board matches played here, but there’s great scope of also hosting ODIs and T20 Internationals,” said a JSCA official, requesting anonymity.

Often, praised for its wicket and grassy outfield, the Keenan was considered as a paradise for the cricketers in the east. Built in 1939, the 19,000-capacity worth stadium was named after John Lawrence Keenan, a general manager at Tata Steel. It has hosted 10 international matches, first being the India-West Indies match on December 7, 1983, and the last was India versus England on April 12, 2006.